The Fall of Arcadia
by SPG inc
Summary: Quote- Someday I might even come to terms with that-. The Doctor fought on the front lines. He was there at the fall of Arcadia. Find out what took place in that legendary battle against the Daleks. *PERMANENT HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, so this isn't going to be so much about 'Skies of Arcadia'. It's just going to be the setting. The story is mainly Doctor Who based. BTW. This is about the 8th Doctor only because that's who he was at the time of this incident, but I will be pretty much be writing the Doctor with the personality of the 10th Doctor since he's the one I know best. Enjoy!**_

5921 AD

'Dead-eye' galaxy, officially designated as 'Galactic class body type 5 variable/EMC- 9ms/86% negative/14a/no. 41' was a ring galaxy. Its nickname derived from two sources. The first was its appearance from above; a pulsating violet core of matter and anti-matter sitting alone as a ring of stars and rocks circled it from light-years away. The vague resemblance to an eye was undeniable. The second source of the colloquial name was the obvious lack of life in the star cluster. As the '86% negative' of its name suggested, the eco-structure of the 'Dead-eye' was almost non-existent. The suns that were strong enough to become the basis of solar systems gave off conflicting energy wavelengths that poisoned all they shined on. The planets and moons were unstable, the crusts shattering with ease, allowing the molten, radioactive interiors to flow out to either tear the astral bodies apart from within or to flow over the surface of the globes to reshape them into new worlds, only to begin the self destructive process again centuries later. Even for single celled organisms, of which there were few, it was a hard place to live.

Between the ring of asteroids and the angry purple core of the galaxy there was nothing. Aside from gravitational pulls the area was devoid of all but dark matter, the self contradicting substance that 'nothing' was made from. Empty space, too vast for most minds to even try and comprehend, slap-bang in the middle of lifeless heavenly bodies. The perfect place to hide.

Secluded in plain sight was a single planet. Its atmosphere was a blend of blood red and brown streaks that arched across its surface like veins. From above the planet the sky seemed to be writhing, the balance of the world still heavily disrupted by its new place in the universe. On good days (though without a sun there was no day or night) it was just possible to make out two vast continents of plant deficient dark brown, separated by battleship-grey oceans.

No one knew if this was the original home world, or if it was a terraformed copy, but none of the natives of the planet asked.

Daleks never questioned superiors.

The topsoil of the Skaro's land was a ruse, to hide the bunkers and small buildings that led into the underground city that was a home for the Dalek race.

The Dalek's physical form was rarely ever seen, least of all to the Daleks themselves, for they were born into their travel machines with a mentality that demanded they never leave them willingly. The dalekanium shells were just under the height of a regular human being, wide and oval at the bottom and thinning into a circular shape as they went up, with a wide dome on top. The round heads of the machines were topped with a duo of dome lights each, with a stalk sticking out the front to hold a ball that gave off a blue light; the Dalek's mechanical eye. At the base of each Dalek machine was a large jet black fender that used anti-gravity technology to move and even fly the suits when necessary. The lower half of the polycarbide form was covered in spheres that were buried halfway into the 'body'. Around fifty six per Dalek, acting as a force field generator and as a remote interface projector. The midsection was covered in oblong slats that made up the sensory array. Two metal arms reached out from this part of the Dalek. One was the Dalek manipulator arm, most often equipped with a highly adaptive plunger. The other was the infamous gunstick, wrapped in a small cage and carrying enough power to turn the average organic being into vapour, though it was now common knowledge that the Daleks intentionally widened the wavelengths of their energy beams in order that their victims die in agony as a sign to all other species of the Dalek's hatred of them. On top of the midsection was a stack of layered mesh and metal rings that supported the head.

The Daleks were surprisingly mobile and incredibly formidable. The only thing more recognisable about them than their appearance was their nature. Through genetic engineering, the Daleks had long ago been stripped of any positive emotions, leaving little in them besides hate. Convinced that they had reached the pinnacle of physical and mental perfection, the Daleks compulsively sought to destroy all life that wasn't Dalek as well. They had no understanding of compromise or mercy, but knew pain and fear like old friends, and made good use of them. Their most recent aggressions against the first human empire had once again been repelled, but had left scares on its people that would not heal for generations to come. The Daleks completely ignored the fact they had once again been beaten, and that they'd been forced to hide Skaro in a new galaxy just to keep it from destruction. In their minds they were still superior in every way, and that they had been defeated was a moot point since all non-Dalek races were doomed to fall anyway. Throughout the Dalek city, lesser species toiled in slavery for their Dalek overseers, taken prisoner in the most recent Dalek incursions. Machinery and computers would have got the tasks of building, mining and moving objects done far more quicker and efficiently, but it was in Dalek nature to see inferior beings broken and cast down in shame and defeat as they deserved to be. The thousand strong chain gangs drawn from a variety of species were forced to work beyond their limits, fear of the masters and pain from non-lethal extermination rays forcing them every step of the way as they cried out for freedom, whether it be in the form of rescue or a quick death.

Deep in the heart of the city, down near the hollow planet core, something was taking place. In the lowest chambers of the Dalek city, elite guard Daleks personally controlled all the systems. Unlike standard Daleks, whose mechanical bodies were completely bronze, the guards had black dome heads and double barrelled gunsticks. Diligently they monitored computers and patrolled the catacomb like hallways that encircled one of the most important rooms on the planet. Behind colossal bulkhead doors, high powered laser shields and a temporal distortion field, the Dalek council was holding a meeting.

The three story room had a total of ten sides, one for each member of the council. Two of the walls on either end of the room were much larger than the rest. On the eight remaining walls, there were alcoves set a few metres above the floor where each council member had already taken up position.

The first was the Supreme Dalek, the recognised head of the council. The creature's machine was identified by being red coloured, with gold globes adorning the lower body and external logistical hard drives clamped onto its neck bin. In the hole in the wall next to it stood the Dalek Inquisitor General. Named 'Dalek X-2' by the humans, as a reminder of the first inquisitor who was killed in the Dalek's first attack on humanity, this Dalek's shell was black with gold globes. Like its predecessor, it was the overseer of prisoner interrogation and slave labour control, and as such was known as an individual to races aside from Daleks. Next to it was a Dalek with a silver body and blue globes and neck rings. This was the scientific research head. Though the Dalek's mental capacity had been limited by their reduced emotions, their simplified state of mind gave them a stronger insight into science. The silver Dalek was the top scientist, dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge through logical thinking alone.

The task of creative thinking belonged to the Dalek in the forth wall.

The infamous Dalek Sec, the first and one of only four named Daleks in existence. Armour black as night, Dalek Sec was the leader of the top secret Cult of Skaro, charged by the highest Dalek authority to do what was virtually abhorrent for a Dalek- to imagine; chiefly to imagine ways for the Daleks to survive when their existence was threatened, and ways to fight when they encountered an enemy beyond their normal abilities to defeat. Such thoughts were of course, in conflict with everything the Daleks believed in. It was an accepted though unvoiced fact that the Cult of Skaro would all be exterminated when all non-Dalek races were destroyed. Until then, however, the cult was a necessary evil the Daleks endured.

On the opposite side of the room, another four members of the council stood in their appointed positions.

Two of the Daleks had standard bronze armour. One was the Dalek Quartermaster, who had the responsibility of directing all activities of importing and exporting supplies and resources, which also extended to maintaining control over captured territories, ships and planets. The second was the Extra Taxonomic Control Executive, in charge of the Dalek spy network and non-Dalek mercenaries. Again, it was a questionable position to hold, yet the Dalek cause required that they succeed by any means necessary, and sometimes that meant Daleks were required to liaise with lesser beings.

The third Dalek along was an assault Dalek, with a tri-pronged laser cutting claw arm instead of a sucker. This Dalek was a command Dalek; the highest level of ranking Dalek that would command on the battlefield personally. The front line troop was the Designated Veteran Dalek, and was chosen for its experience to give first hand reports on encounters with the Dalek enemies to the council. The last Dalek in its hole in the wall was the Dalek chief administrator, tasked with keeping and managing all Dalek records. Its travel machine was the same as that of a standard Dalek, but the administrator was also outfitted with a 'C' shaped mounted mainframe that wrapped around its back, allowing it to hold massive amounts of data.

On one end of the room, against one of the two larger walls was an interconnecting group of white mainframe computers. On top of the middle mainframe was a white dome Dalek head. Dalek Prime was responsible for keeping Skaro running in top condition, and had control over the entire planet via the core computer it was conected to. It was immoveable, but was in control of four double barrelled gunstick turrets set in the walls of the meeting room.

All the council members were present, save for one. They all waited in silence except for the eternal hum of endless amounts of technology, having nothing to say until the last member of the Dalek command was among them.

They didn't have long to wait, as on the final wall of the room, a vast transmission projector buzzed into life, displaying an image a Dalek. A Dalek in its natural form, outside of the travel machine.

Its body was a sickly purple colour. It was fleshy and wrinkled, and pretty much resembled an octopus, complete with a collection of tentacles reaching out through the blue fluid of its life support capsule. At the back of the creature body, a brain could be seen, swollen disproportionately against the flesh so that it was almost visible through the skin. Dead centre of the Dalek was an eye. A single, yellow, narrowed eye which seemed to glare with an insatiable hatred.

This, was the master of all Daleks. The Dalek Emperor.

"**The Dalek council is now in session."** the emperor bellowed in its mechanically translated voice, deeper than any regular tone used by the Daleks.

"**The chief administrator will take the minutes of the meeting."** the Supreme Dalek commanded.

"**I obey."** the equivalent of a pen-pusher droned in response, the dome lights on top flashing with each syllable.

"**Report on the status of the war supreme one."** the emperor directed at the Supreme Dalek.

"**All Dalek forces have pulled out of effective battle range of the human empire. Our fleets are regrouping as we speak."**

"**Many ships are in need of repairs,"** the quartermaster spoke up in a higher pitched machine voice **"but maintaining no contact with opposing forces is delaying the transport of necessary supplies to allow the ships to make good speed."**

The Dalek in charge of spies and mercenaries joined by saying **"The withdrawal occurred at an inopportune time during the battles with the humans. The limited minds of our enemies convince them that the Daleks are defeated. Many spies have abandoned the Dalek cause, and the information required to coordinate our support ships without engaging the humans is limited."**

"**This is unacceptable!"** the boom of the Emperor Dalek seemed to add an extra micro-vibration to the already vast collection of tiny shudders that came from the activity of so many machines in the Dalek city. **"Designated Veteran, what is your opinion of the human psychological condition?"**

"**The humans indeed fight with far more confidence than before. It is apparent they think they have the upper hand in the war against us. Other races are also expressing doubt in the strength of the Dalek Empire and have been reported making rapid strikes against retreating squadrons."**

This was not good news, and the members of the council couldn't help but feel glad that the Emperor was incapable of attending the council meetings personally, seeing as how it was hardwired into its 'Exterminator' class flagship.

"**Veteran Dalek, what is the status of our own forces?"** Dalek Sec enquired.

"**For what purpose is such a question relevant?"** the Inquisitor General now spoke, an undeniable note of venom in its machine generated voice. Dalek Sec was necessary. That didn't mean its presence wasn't a bitter pill to swallow.

"**The morale of our troops affects their combat effectiveness. We sh-"**

"**Daleks obey orders! That is their purpose!" **the Inquisitor roared in disgust. **"Daleks do not respond to emotional influence! Daleks are supreme!"**

Dalek Sec's implications were an intolerable insult to the Dalek leaders, and the others watched with enthusiasm that their expressionless machines couldn't hide as the Dalek perversion came under attack from the advanced fury that the Inquisitor General had been gifted with as a requirement for its post.

"**Nevertheless, Daleks are still subject to the influence of the conditions they encounter. Increased efforts by enemy forces are capable of having negative effects on Dalek mental disposition."**

"**This is obscene!"** the Inquisitor raged in contrast to Sec's icy cold calmness. **"Your words suggest flaw in the Dalek race! It would appear that the only Daleks whose mental disposition should be in question is-"**

"**SILENCE!"** the Emperor's voice exploded into the exchange and the single word was instantly obeyed. All eye stalks turned back to the visual feed.

"**Dalek Sec makes a valid point in that there is relevance in the conditions of lower ranking units. The question will be answered."**

Dalek Sec took a quick opportunity to look back at the inquisitor with an unmistakable air of smugness, before it joined the others in looking towards the assault Dalek.

"**Dalek combat units continue to operate effectivly against the enemy."** the Dalek clarified straight off as it angrily forced itself to answer the ridiculous question. **"Dalek units are resentful against the humans due to the increased number of defensive encounters the Daleks have been required to carry out, yet extermination ratio remains at tolerable levels and Dalek units continue to operate at maximum efficiency."**

"**Then they must continue to operate at maximum efficiency," **the Emperor growled, and all present detected the underlying note that said 'or else' **"yet it is clear that efforts have to be made to reassert Dalek superiority throughout the universe."**

"**The incubation laboratories are still being impaired by the new galactic conditions we are in."** came a voice from the core computer that sounded even more mechanical than Daleks normally did. Dalek Prime continued.

"**The background radiation is still causing mutations in sixty percent of new Dalek units. Any attempt to create another army will be met with considerable delays."**

"**Then we must use our current armies to carry out an act that will clearly establish Dalek supremacy in the eyes of our enemies."** the Supreme Dalek stated.

"**And it must be highly effective."** the Emperor agreed. **"The possibility that the Time Lords will soon break the Act of Master Restitution is becoming ever more likely."**

"**Spy intelligence suggests that Lady President Romana has been in contact with commanding bodies of species who have openly challenged the Daleks."** the Extra Taxonomic Control Executive reported. "**It indeed seems certain that the Time Lords intend to declare war against us."**

Now the science officer spoke too.

"**We still hold the Great Key, yet it is clear from our studies of that Time Lord technology poses a significant threat to the Daleks."**

"**Then we must also send a message to the Time Lords. A message that all enemies of the Dalek's shall take heed of." **the Emperor grated.

"**I have a suggestion."**

Everyone looked to the chief of the spy network

"**The prime Dalek attack fleet of the human empire invasion is still in human controlled space, near the planet Arcadia. Spy reports indicate that the rogue Time Lord, the Doctor, is there."**

A cold chill passed throughout the room at the mention of that name.

The Doctor. The enemy of the Daleks. A name that was burnt into the genetic memory of every Dalek in existence. Ka Faraq Gatri- Bringer of Darkness.

"**The planet of Arcadia is on the outer reaches of human space, yet it is heavily populated and it a world that inspires admiration among the humans. It would be an excellent world to target as an example to our enemies."**

"**The destruction of Arcadia and the Doctor as a result would undoubtedly traumatise both the human and Time Lord races'. And news that our greatest enemy had died at hands of the Daleks would have a strong positive effect on all Dalek units."**

For once, no one seem to mind that Sec once again suggested that Daleks morale was an issue, nor did anyone point out that Daleks did not have hands and Sec had clearly spent too much time thinking like a human. There was suddenly an undercurrent of excitement between the council members. Even though they believed themselves to be absolutely perfect, all Daleks new that the march to victory as the only living beings in existence was a long one. Yet if the Time Lord known as 'The Doctor' was to be killed, ultimate victory suddenly didn't seem quite so far away.

"**I have decided."** the Emperor's harsh voice drew all attention back to it. **"The Extra Taxonomic Control Executive shall go to the planet Arcadia and lead an attack upon it."**

"**I obey."** The Dalek spoke immediately, not at all surprised that it had been selected for the task. All Daleks were soldiers, no matter what rank they held, and Dalek protocol stated that since it was its idea, it would carry out the task.

"**The Designated Veteran Dalek shall also take part in the battle."** commanded the Emperor.

"**I obey."**

"**Then let it be known throughout the Dalek fleets. The final attack upon the human race shall take place on Arcadia. No living creature is to escape from that world. Arcadia will fall, and the Doctor, will be exterminated!"**

And as though someone had given a signal, the Dalek council began to chant as one.

"**Exterminate the Doctor! Exterminate the Doctor! Exterminate the Doctor!"**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I've changed my mind about this fic. There is going to be strong reference to the game 'Skies of Arcadia'. And I will make some attempt to make the Doctor sound and act like the eighth Doctor, with help from **_Marcus S. Lazarus_** who's offered to beta the character. Thank you **_Marcus S. Lazarus_**!**_

_**Also, in case you don't recognise the title, in the Doctor Who episode 'Doomsday' the Doctor tells the Cult of Skaro that he survived the Time War by fighting on the front line, and also remarked that **_'I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that.'

_**Creepy, huh?**_

**_

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Paul McGann as 'The Doctor'

**DOCTOR·WHO**

The Fall of Arcadia

Doctor Who rights reserved to BBC et al.

Skies of Arcadia rights reserved to Overworks et al.

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Are Arcadians human? This question had been at the heart of human biology for the best part of a hundred years. As their name implied, they originated from Arcadia itself, and not the home world of the human race, Earth. Despite being so far away, Arcadians had been the first race of human variables that the people of Earth had come into contact with. This was due to the Arcadian culture, which had developed around the fact that the landmass of Arcadia was made up of floating islands, meaning that from the very earliest days of civilised society travel by flight had been highly advanced by the standards of most planets. By the time the Earth people had successfully put a dog into space, the Arcadians were striding out beyond their own solar system to hang out with the varied species of the galaxy. And so in this way, it was when they first met the people of Arcadia that the people of Earth realised that maybe their world was not the centre of the human race.

The difference that made up the dispute of whether Arcadians were human or not was the structure of their respiratory system. Arcadians had a single large lung in their bodies that went round the back of all their other organs. And instead of breathing out through their mouth or nose, they exhaled through their navels. Anyone who had been to Arcadia was familiar with the single, long, wheezing sound of endless inhalation that the people made; a single long intake of breath, while the sound of the air exiting through the belly was usually muffled by clothing. Many respected scientists still maintained that Arcadians were human, but generations of air travel had caused them to evolve so that they were capable of breathing in the face of incredibly strong slipstreams that would smother ordinary humans, and that having a giant lung made them more resistant to pressurised environments often encountered during the use of high speed transport. Of course there was no way to prove any of this. The general design of the human body was a common form throughout the universe- two legs for walking, two arms for manipulation and one head in control of it all. Even the unique alien that was on Arcadia at that very moment was indistinguishable from a human being.

The Doctor wasn't even very eye-catching. He was of a regular build and height. He had a middle aged face that looked as though it had once held a natural warmth that had been drained away by indeterminable years of stress and effort that had lined his brow. He had wavy ginger locks that reached down to just above his neck, and the most intriguing eyes. Eyes that seemed to shine with ancient wisdom, but also with just a hint of playful enthusiasm. Apart from that, the only noticeable feature about the Doctor was his dress sense. He wore grey suit trousers, a patterned gold waistcoat and a white shirt that probably looked out of date when they were new. There was a gold cravat badly tied around his neck, and a knee length moss green coat over his shoulders. The whole assembly was the sort of thing that would clash with any culture you could introduce it to, yet the Doctor carried it off well. Overall, the Doctor was the most unlikely person you would believe to be a twin-hearted Time Lord with a mind that could see the very fabric of time and feel the movements of the universe.

Currently, the Doctor was in the sky fortress known as 'Soltis Bastille', the official capital of the planet, and also the heart of the 'Arcadian Combined Alliance Militia' and of air traffic control. The remarkable feat of engineering had been built to hover in the empty patch of sky known as Mid Ocean. Named in homage to the ancient civilisation supposed to have lived there, the city sized command centre also guarded the only way down to the planet's surface; though the eye of the massive hurricane 'The Vortex'.

"It would appear that fortifying Soltis was unnecessary after all." Brigadier Julian Holm remarked as he looked over the Alpha level operations room. From the window of his second floor office of the ops room, he could see everything clearly. Nearly thirty military operators manned the computers and communications equipment, the whole room glowing with a bright yellow from the special type of electricity that was used on the planet. The wall at the back of the room carried a huge view-screen, one half of it showing a world map of Arcadia, the other half showing six different sets of feedback from the scanning posts set on the six Arcadian moons. The walls of the room were made of indigo slates. The whole place was alive with the bustle of a busy office, with the light tapping of keyboards filling the air along with conversation over radio headsets, as well as junior clerks darting about with info-stamps and printouts to be delivered. On the roof were multiple air conditioning devices, fitted with purple Arcadian diamonds which held remarkable properties of ice manipulation, in order that no one in the room might be lulled into a drowsy state by the warmth of the dozens of computers.

"You seem to be correct Brigadier," the Doctor spoke clearly and firmly. "I expected that prime Dalek attack fleet to decimate this planet as they retreated, but they've bypassed the entire system without a moment's hesitation."

"Well then, it seems that your presence here won't be required after all, Doctor. I expect you must be eager to get back to that wonderful 'TARDIS' of yours."

The Doctor cast his eyes over to the officer. Holm was a picture of everything that an officer and a gentleman should be. His face had the characteristically striking features of a Mid Oceanic, with a firm jaw, wide brow and chocolate coloured eyes which matched the shade of his hair that was smoothed over to one side of his head. He had an authoritative presence that was almost intimidating, complimented by six and a half feet of his solidly built, square shouldered physique. Even though his navy blue uniform with gold trim was smart and immaculately clean, the officer's rough skin and bulky hands betrayed him as an experienced seaman on the old style airboats that were still popular on Arcadia. Further evidence of him being a hands-on sailor came from the nautical paraphernalia he carried about his person as a matter of course- a compass on a gold chain, an omniscope sheathed at his belt, and a wooden cane with arcwhale-bone grip. The Doctor noted that there was a matter simulator under the grip, no doubt artificially projecting the wood of the cane. Probably, if the simulator was shut off, it would reveal a thin blade inside that a man like Holm would have been well trained to use.

If the Brigadier had any flaws, one of them would be that he always seemed more concerned with the politics of any given situation than anything else.

"Keen to see the back of me, eh?" the Doctor remarked with a smile that carried a barely detectable sting in the tail as he glanced up from the reports he was reading

"Don't get me wrong Doctor," Holm chuckled, "your file in the UNIT records is most flattering. I and the high council of Arcadia are honoured for your assistance in this crisis, but with the Daleks retreating without a fight, it seems that Arcadia is free from the threat of invasion. Now is the time for us to start thinking of returning to a normal way of life."

"That is, assuming I am satisfied the threat has passed."

The Doctor and the Brigadier looked toward the owner of the third voice, the former with an expressionless face, the latter with an exasperated sigh.

"You still think Arcadia is in danger, Captain Gonzales?" the Doctor asked.

The man in the black combat flight suit lifted himself from where he'd been lounging against the Brigadier's desk, his i-Steel vambraces, joint protectors and chest plate clanking as he moved.

"I wouldn't have made the effort to summon you here if I didn't think we might need your help." the man droned from the grille of his helmet; a helmet of jet black dwarf star metal except for the upper left quarter of the head which was made of bronze. The only other feature of the mask apart from the grille was a single eye hole in the bronze segment, from where Gonzales' eye was virtually hidden in shadow.

"With all due respect, 'Captain'." Holm's voice was perfectly balanced to sound polite but to also carry a note of venom "it is not for you to decide how the activities of the Arcadian military and social structure should progress, nor are you in a position to assume to be knowledgeable in predicting Dalek behaviour."

The man bristled and said "Me and my crew have had plenty of experience with Daleks. While Arcadia was still debating whether or not to take part in the war, we were out there destroying Dalek scout teams approaching the planet."

"Success in minor skirmishes only proves so much." Holm countered. "Despite your family history in service to Arcadia you are still a mercenary, and only an honorary captain, not a recognised officer."

"Bounty hunter, not mercenary. There's a difference."

"That's beside the point. You are not an officially qualified officer and your opinions alone will not dictate military procedure. And as for the suggestion of you having greater combat experience than me, I'll have you know that _my_ family has guarded Arcadia for generations, and is even believed to be directly descended from the legendary pirate king Vyse."

Gonzales tilted his head with mild curiosity and looked back towards the desk. On the mahogany surface was a small plinth-mounted figurine made from Arcadian white moon stone. A little plaque on the base proclaimed congratulations to Admiral Julian Holm on his promotion into the command ranks several years ago. The statuette that was presented to all newly appointed admirals was of a dashing young man outfitted in the style of a swashbuckler, complete with an eye patch and a pair of cutlasses. The stone sculpture was of the aforementioned Vyse, a major character of Arcadian lore.

"I highly doubt that," the bounty hunter said as he turned back to the officer "but it doesn't change the fact that I think Arcadia is still under threat. I would like to request that the Doctor remains with us until the Daleks are far beyond attack range. And since the Doctor is already here and has done so much to assist in building our defences, I doubt he'd mind waiting a little longer, would you Doctor?"

The two soldiers looked to the Doctor, who turned back to his reports so they couldn't see his expression. After a moment's thought he said "I suppose I can at least wait till I've sorted the paper work out."

The Brigadier frowned and looked between the two men in his office, unsure which one to be annoyed with. He was spared the trouble as the door opened and two more figures walked in.

The first was a woman in an all covering, snow-white burqa. The tips of her feet were revealed as she strode over to the commanding officer, showing equally white boots. The only part of her body which wasn't concealed was a tiny patch across her emerald green eyes and the bridge of her nose which had ghostly pale skin. She was a member of Gonzales bounty hunter troupe, but it had been revealed that she was Arcadian by her ability to use the matter manipulating ability that was commonly known as 'silver magic'. Presumably the cloth over her face stifled the sound of her constant intake of breath.

"Brigadier Holm, we have finished transferring the scanner readings from our ships computer banks." Aki said in a light, hushed voice that suited her mysterious appearance. "The controllers tell me they will need your executive authorisation before they can put the information through to the tactical assessment program."

"Very well, I'll see to it now." Holm moved towards the door. As he went he delivered a parting shot to Gonzales.

"Maybe when even the reports from your ship prove that the Daleks are gone I'll be able to take command of my own forces, without advice from a mercenary."

The captain said nothing as his sole female crew member led the officer from the room, leaving him with the Doctor and the second person who'd entered, who was another of his bounty hunters- a Judoon clad in his usual heavy black armour and studded kilt. The Judoon handed a PDA to Gonzales, who took only a courtesy glance at it.

"Glad you could drag yourself away from your exploration to help with the efforts against the Daleks." He said snidely to the Doctor's back.

"Arcadia seems strong enough to hold off an exhausted Dalek fleet. For someone who isn't even an Arcadian citizen you're very overprotective of this world. I don't think you give their military enough credit."

"I know what Arcadia is capable of, but I'd be more interested in guaranteeing its survival than seeing how it would fare against Dalek invasion. _You_, are the guarantee, Doctor."

At last, the Doctor turned away from his work to look coldly at the honorary captain. He said "Do you really think it's good that a whole planet should be so reliant on me?"

"The Daleks have got to be stopped." for the first time, some anger entered Gonzales' voice. "You're a known enemy of the Daleks; you should be helping to stop them. You're skills and experience might make the difference between the destruction or salvation of Arcadia. "

"And what'll happen if I'm not always there to provide a brilliant solution to this world's problems?" the Doctor retorted, somehow seeming to come off as more intimidating than the experienced warrior he argued with. "Your activities haven't exactly helped the situation; flying round the system destroying Dalek scout teams but not coordinating your strategies or battle reports with the military, meaning their tactical computers calculate inaccurate risk assessments. And then, using what political influence you have to see that the high council votes against organising a planetary evacuation."

"Arcadia has lasted for more than three thousand years of recorded history!" Gonzales snarled at the Doctor's accusations. "Me and my family before me have protected Arcadia from pirates, raiders and invaders for most of that time, and I won't lose this world without a fight!"

"Even if that fight costs civilian lives? The Brigadier tells me that if it weren't for your stubbornness the world population could have been evacuated to a newly terraformed refugee planet months ago."

"Well as I understand it, if it weren't for your stubbornness you could've convinced the Time Lords to go to was with the Daleks and saved several planets from being destroyed."

The Doctor turned away from Gonzales and back to his desk of info-stamps and print outs. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he looked away. It could have been that he was so angry at the man that he didn't think he could contain his rage. Then again, it might be because he'd been reminded of Gallifrey's growing minority of people who believed they should help in the war against the Daleks, and even he couldn't imagine the dire consequences such a decision could have on his home world. Or further still, maybe he wanted to avoid the fact that perhaps there was some truth in what Gonzales said, and that his determination to avoid politics and official authorities had cost untold billions of lives. Either way, he didn't want to face that uncompromising mask anymore.

"In regards to the Time Lord's decision to enter or not enter the war, I have nothing to reproach myself with." the Doctor lied. "The Time Lords are race of thinkers, not fighters."

There was a cold chuckle from behind the Doctor.

"Well you could have fooled me. From what I've seen the Time Lord have a lot of potential for waging war."

The Doctor cursed himself. He knew what was coming now; he should have seen it.

Gonzales walked over and sat on the Doctor's desk, just to the left of the Time Lord's vision, who went on with his work and tried to ignore the masked man.

"That paradox field used by the Time Lord battle TARDISes really is something. Use future predictions to identify an enemy ship that will cause friendly ships plenty of grief but will eventually be destroyed, then use the paradox field to make that ships destruction occur immediately before it has a chance to cause the damage it might have done. And that's only the sub weapon. I've seen the other things a battle TARDIS can do- aging enemy troops by a million years, freezing ships in time while a sabotage team materialises on board, altering the dimensions of enemy installations so that they become bigger on the inside but without allowing the outside to contain it, pausing weapons fire so allied units can move aside; the list is endless. And don't even get me started on the Black Hole Carriers," he looked down at the Doctor "or the Bowships."

Now the Doctor was defiantly angry. Nothing about this bounty hunter angered him more than his inexplicable knowledge of Time Lord technology; knowledge that was supposedly sacredly guarded, and had somehow fallen into the hands of this man, along with an actual example of said technology.

"Seriously," Gonzales continued arrogantly, "you don't know about aerial dogfights till you've tried one in a Bowship. Finding that thing on the White Moon was the greatest trophy I ever bagged."

"A Bowship is not a toy. It's a dangerous weapon and its power shouldn't be underestimated. Someone like you is far too irresponsible to have such a thing, and as long as you do have it you put yourself and the whole of Arcadia at risk."

"Well, as soon as I'm sure you've done everything you can to protect Arcadia from the Daleks, you can have it back."

"I'm much obliged." Was the Doctor's sarcastic response. "I don't suppose while you're at it you'd care to tell me how you found out so much about Time Lords?"

Gonzales didn't answer, but the Doctor could just tell he was smirking at him under that mask. Without another word, the captain got up off the desk and left the room.

Now it was just the Doctor and the Judoon.

"Captain Gonzales has always had a compulsion to defy those in positions of authority or power." the rhino headed bounty hunter, nicknamed Robo, rumbled to the Doctor. "You may not believe it, but the captain highly appreciates your efforts."

The Doctor looked round at Robo, his expression softening slightly. He couldn't help but like the former galactic police officer. Where the other members of Gonzales' crew were mysterious and/or impossibly uncompromising, Robo was open minded and very patient, a remarkable feat for a member of the hereditary hot-headed, rash, brutish, and quite frankly stupid race that was the Judoon. The reason for this deviation, however, was not natural.

At the present Robo was helmetless, revealing that his ears were missing and the cap of his skull was a patchwork of scars. He was the victim of a highly dangerous (and more importantly, highly illegal) experiment to use brain surgery to splice artificial muta-genes directly into the cells of a living being. In an attempt to make the Judoon trooper more creative and resourceful, the experimenters inadvertently altered Robo's personality and made him empathic and perceptive of the behavioural traits of others.

Robo, still sensing the tension in the air, decided to try and change the subject.

"The planet is an impressive one though." Robo said as he picked up a satellite image printout showing the huge continent of Nasr. "All the land floats above the sky, and the environmental regions are made by the moons. On other worlds they say Arcadia is full of magic."

"It's nothing to do with magic." the Doctor said. "Each of the six Arcadian moons gives out a type of attuned radiation which has chemical and molecular influences upon naturally occurring material energy flows. For example, the Yellow Moon expels radiation particles with a large number of electrons. They combine with the positive energy already in the air to create a huge electrical reaction, which causes statically charged dust particles to gather around the electricity in a huge mass. That's why Valua always looks like it has huge black storm clouds overhead; they're actually dust clouds filled with static electricity. All the moons discharge different particles; the red and blue moon gives out ozone and hydrogen respectively, the green moon drops carbon dioxide particles and the purple moon is part organic and releases ether which burns in the atmosphere and absorbs heat. The only odd one out is the white moon. No one's really sure what comes from that moon, or if it has any effect on the atmosphere."

Robo frowned (more than usual that is) and said "I've seen Arcadians doing magic."

"Oh no no no," the Doctor stood up as he began to get absorbed into the discussion "it's not really magic, though it is sort of. The moons, and consequently the moon stones, are proton heavy in the atoms. That means when the mind of sentient being focuses their concentration into a moon stone, psionic empowered neurons are fired via brainwaves into them, and the stones respond to the power of suggestion from the user to carry out the purpose they intend to use the moon stone for."

Robo grunted, still finding it a little confusing.

"What's that got to do with the floating islands?"

"Absolutely nothing."

The Judoon looked at the Doctor questioningly. The Doctor quickly rummaged in his coat pocket and quickly produced a needle and a square fridge magnet with a picture of a whimsical looking man on it.

"You know that the actual surface of Arcadia is just a mass of elements all squeezed together, right? The planet's so dense its gravity just crushes everything into a slimy, boiling pulp. But with all the different things being mixed up and fused together, along with moonstones raining down every so often, its perfect conditions for moulding velorium. The velorium is all mixed into the minerals of the planet; you don't find many big chunks of it. But the thing about velorium is that it gives out a field of repellent magnetism."

"What's that?"

"It's basically magnetism that works in reverse- it pushes out rather than pulls in, and that's what makes the land float. See this magnet here," he held the fridge magnet with the tips of his fingers so that the black magnetic strip was facing the floor, then pushed the needle against it so that it stuck in place."

"Isn't that just incredible?" the Doctor shook his head as he looked at the magnet almost in awe. "The entire mass of the planet is pulling down on everything even as we speak, keeping us down on the floor, putting ships at risk from being dragged into oblivion and even pulling boulders off the surface of the moons. And yet this tiny little magnet is holding that needle against the massive gravity pull."

The Doctor pocketed the magnet while Robo looked blankly at him.

"So, with the velorium pushing out against the pull of gravity, if enough velorium infused earth gets blended together tightly enough the land will lift above the storm-ridden surface and up into the skies where it's safe for living creatures. You get it?"

"Sort of." Robo replied, starting to regret beginning the conversation. Looking back at the image of Nasr, he added "An impressive world to be a part of. Almost makes me feel... envious."

The Doctor looked at Robo carefully. Judoon had very few face muscles, so trying to see how one was feeling was an almost impossible task. It seemed obvious, however, that Robo wasn't particularly happy. Between preparing Arcadia for a Dalek invasion and fuming at Gonzales, the Doctor had had little opportunity to get to know the bounty hunter team who'd blackmailed him to come there. Despite this, it was clear the six member group was composed of misfits who for various reasons wouldn't be accepted as citizens of any planet. He'd heard that the crew lived of a decommissioned star ship that lurked around the Arcadian system randomly. Whether Gonzales had simply taken advantage of the outcast bunch, or out of genuine compassion had offered them a home when no one else would, the Doctor couldn't be sure; he just couldn't be certain about the captain's true nature or intensions. But he did know that at least one member of the team regretted what had become on him, and for that the Doctor found himself feeling sorry for Robo.

The Doctor was about to speak again, but suddenly the door slid open and the Brigadier rushed in.

"Doctor, we have a crisis!" he gasped, out of breath. Before anyone could ask what was wrong, he pulled an executive level info-stamp from his belt, thumbed his code into the pad, and projected a holographic image onto the wall.

It was another satellite photo, this one altered by the strategic computers to show space as a starless black background with objects as colourless white forms.

And there were a lot of those colourless white forms, milling around the boundary of the Arcadia system if the coordinates in the bottom right corner were correct.

"The Daleks are coming back," Holm said, voice breaking "and they've received a second fleet of reinforcements."


	3. Chapter 3

Now the Doctor was on the main floor of the operations room.

Standing almost in the centre of the control dais at the back of the room, he was accompanied by Gonzales and his crew members Aki and Robo, a pair of senior operators at the consoles, the Brigadier and his direct second in command, or Vice-officer, Vice-Commodore Juárez.

"They lost all their planet-crackers in other battles, thank Queyta ," the Commodore bowed his head slightly as he used the name of his Ixa'takan deity "but those reinforcements have given them a hundred more saucers, a third 'Exterminator' flagship and a moon-sized command ship."

"That means over two million Daleks." the Doctor said stonily.

The once lively room had become hushed as everyone stared at the large view screen where white splodges showed the movement of Dalek ships towards Arcadia. Operators and clerks neglected their duties, only whispering into their mikes if absolutely necessary, anxiously listening as those in charge discussed the turn of events.

"We don't even have enough ships to fight that many Daleks." Holm said, all previous traces of dignity being swallowed up by sheer terror. His incessant intake of breath had become erratic and shaky, an Arcadian characteristic of stress.

"Any chance we can begin evacuating the planet now?" the Doctor asked, somehow managing to keep his cool.

"Impossible, Doctor. The enemy would easily intercept even the fastest ships trying to escape the planet. Outrider saucers have already moved to cut off all the main space lanes."

"Besides," Captain Gonzales murmured from behind them "most of the population has been evacuated to the Undercity beneath the planet surface. It would take days to evacuate all the people and resources necessary to sustain them."

"What about support from other planets?"

The Brigadier shook his head and said "Earth Command refuse to commit anything until the pursuit fleet they're mustering is ready. That will take about three days, and it will take almost another five days for them to travel here."

'_Politics._' the Doctor sighed to himself.

"Anyone else?"

"The Draconian Empire has promised to send help, but they're still fighting off another Dalek fleet so there's no indication of when they'll get here." the Vice-Commodore answered the Doctor. "The elite army of the Boeshane Peninsula is also on the way. They'll be here in two to three days."

"That won't be soon enough." Holm protested to his second in command as though it was his fault. "We must stop them somehow. Doctor, couldn't you fly to that fleet in your ship and try to negotiate with them?"

"Negotiate with Daleks!?" the Doctor looked at Holm and had to force himself not to verbally lash out at the man. "My dear Brigadier, now is not the time for joking."

"This is not a joke Doctor." Holm started to get angry. "Our world faces a genuine threat of absolute destruction, and you're the one with the experience of dealing with these aliens. If you just go to them now while there's still time you may be able to reach some sort of agreement with them."

The Doctor turned away, unable to look anyone in the eyes as the helplessness overwhelmed him. Daleks could _not_ be negotiated with. It just wasn't in their nature. If he went to the Dalek fleet to try and reason with them he'd probably be captured, and then where would they be? Effectively there was no option, and the Doctor knew he would have to try to get the Brigadier to understand that. As a feeling of there being no hope crept over the Doctor, he found himself feeling tired; tired of trying so hard, that is. Somehow it seemed that anything he put his mind to would just blow up in his face, and he didn't know if he could face seeing that happen here on Arcadia as well. The only alternative, however, was to climb aboard the TARDIS and leave the world to its fate, and the Doctor found that even less appealing. Not to mention the fact that the he couldn't leave the prototype Time Lord Bowship unaccounted for with Daleks homing in on the planet where it was kept.

So reluctantly, the Doctor faced Holm again and tried to explain.

"Daleks can't be reasoned with, Brigadier. They only understand the need to destroy all life in the universe." the officer tried to protest but the Doctor cut him off. "I'm sorry Brigadier but I can't do anything to stop the Daleks. If I landed on board one of their ships they'd capture me and that would only make things worse. Quite frankly, there isn't anything I can do."

Everyone looked at the Doctor, some blankly, others with looks of despair.

"Doctor, if you don't get out there in your TARDIS and do something this planet is doomed. If it comes to battle, Arcadia won't stand a chance."

"Not necessarily." Gonzales' coldly calculating voice cut into the exchange.

"And what by the moons would _you_ know, mercenary!?" Holm lost his temper for a moment, earning a surprised look or two from the nearby operators. Gonzales didn't respond to the outburst. Instead he stepped forward and pressed a few buttons on the main console, changing the display of the huge view screen to show a world map of Arcadia.

"Because there are only a few major populated land masses on this planet, there are only so many places the Daleks will attack. Though it's true we can't defeat this enemy, it is possible to hold out until the Boeshanes arrive to drive them off."

"Against two million Daleks? A little overconfident, don't you think?" the Doctor looked at Gonzales incredulously.

"Not at all Doctor." the Captain's eye glared at the Time Lord. "Most people have taken refuge in the Undercity, and the only way down to the planet surface is through the Vortex; right underneath Soltis Bastille. With enough frigates and turrets on the underside of the command centre we could plug the way down to the city for weeks on end. The Dalek ships may be strong enough to withstand the heat and pressure of the deep sky, but to get there without going through the Vortex they'd have to pass through the great storms; even Dalek ships wouldn't survive that."

"What about the 'Exterminator' class ships?" Holm countered, tapping his cane on the floor to gain everyone's attention. "Such huge vessels will be heavily insulated and capable of passing the storms."

"Not only that, but a big enough object falling into deep sky could clear away the storms long enough for Dalek saucers to follow through." the Doctor added.

"Begging your pardon, sir," Commodore Juárez spoke up "but if an 'Exterminator' was to pass through the storms it would probably lose all of its external offensive and defensive systems, including shield projectors and all weaponry except for missiles, which would be useless in the pressure of deep sky."

"And the weapons on Dalek saucers would only be able to penetrate the planet surface and attack the Undercity if there were plenty of them working together. A determined aerial attack could disrupt their formations and prevent them from being able to move in large numbers at a time." Gonzales' voice had sped up ever so slightly with eager anticipation.

"This is absurd!" Holm complained again. "We can't possibly repel such a large enemy force for so long. It will be a massacre!"

"There doesn't seem to be much choice, Brigadier." the Doctor looked solemnly at the tall officer, and then at Gonzales. Sighing to himself in defeat, he conceded.

"But a military defence could possibly work, if the defences were used effectively. If we could get an idea of where the Daleks were coming from you could position your ships to scatter them as soon as they made planet fall; that would leave them both vulnerable to attack and at a tactical disadvantage."

"But how can we get that sort of information? The Daleks are no fools, and they'll be on the lookout for any scout ships that we send up."

"I could use the TARDIS." the Doctor frowned, but continued. "It'd be risky, but the TARDIS sensors could detect Dalek movements from a greater distance than your scout ships could."

Suddenly, Holm seemed slightly more interested in the idea, though he tried to hide it.

"Do you really think your TARDIS can get accurate details of the Dalek strategy?"

"It's a long shot Brigadier," the Doctor looked back at him "but it worked in the Rok war a century from now."

"Well, that changes things then." the Brigadier seemed pleased again. "With your help Doctor, we may just stand a chance in a battle with the Daleks. How long would you need to gather all the information?"

"About fifteen minutes at the most. According to these reports they won't be here for at least an hour, so that still gives you time to position your ships."

"We'll need more time if this is really going to work." Gonzales said.

"Allowing the Doctor to use the TARDIS is obviously the most efficient way to plan for the enemy attack." Holm brushed the Captain off like a mild irritation. "Doctor, tell me; is there anything we can do to help with this procedure?"

Before the Doctor could reply, Aki stepped forward and breathed in her tiny voice "It won't be necessary to fly your ship out to investigate Doctor. There is a far safer method of finding out the Dalek's plans."

"Oh come now." the Brigadier shook his head. "The power of the TARDIS is a legend unto itself. You're not surely suggesting we should put aside the Doctor's vast experience and genius and look to you for the answers we need." he looked to Gonzales, hoping he would be reasonable enough to rein his crewmember in. Gonzales said nothing and moved slightly so that he stood firmly next to Aki.

It was clear where loyalties lay.

"Let's not be too hasty Brigadier." the Doctor said. "At least hear what she has in mind."

Truth be told, the Doctor didn't fancy the idea of flying into outer space to spy on the Daleks. He'd learnt from bitter experience that his great enemy had developed ways to incapacitate a TARDIS, and he couldn't be sure if it was safe to leave the Arcadia. As it was, he suspected the TARDIS wasn't even going to be safe where it was now- on an upper floor of the Bastille in a suitably disused storage bay. The last thing he wanted to do when the Daleks were bearing down on an outmatched world was to give them a super-powered time/space travelling device along with himself as a prisoner to interrogate and brain-fry for any and every bit of information he had.

Besides, he was interested to know what Aki had come up with. The thought that Gonzales' bounty hunters weren't all a bunch of trigger happy thugs made him feel a little less hostile towards them. And he did like to see people work out solutions for themselves.

"As you know, I am highly adept at using silver magic. I have powerful spell which will give me a type of foresight. I can discover what the Daleks plan to do without even leaving this room."

"Oh really." Holm interrupted in frustration "Young lady, silver magic hasn't been mastered in over five centuries. I can't be seen to be relying on the powers of an unregistered moon stone user to guess at the enemy plans using an outdated ability like that. It just won't do."

"My Vice-Captain's skills have served me well for many years." Gonzales growled. "You'd do well not to underestimate them- this time."

The Brigadier narrowed his eyes slightly. From the dark looks bouncing between the two men, the Doctor had a feeling that this was an old argument between them. He quickly brought the conversation back on track.

"What exactly can you do?" he asked.

Aki lifted her arms, her airy robe flowing aside as two hands reached out, both pale skinned with a thick silver bracelet around the left wrist. From the very base of the hands to the point where the forearms disappeared back into the burqa, a form-hugging white material covered her limbs, and presumably also covered her entire body (except her face) under her outer layer.

"This ability," she said as something that looked to be pure light in a liquid form appeared in her cupped hands "will allow me to see what actions the Daleks will take in the near future."

"Interesting... uh... spell." the Doctor ventured, a little unsure about the Arcadian's strange powers in relation to their six moons. Something he'd need to study when this was over. "Does this power have a name or something?"

"Yes."

Aki's next words certainly got the Doctor's attention.

"It's called 'Time Sight'."

* * *

Travelling at light speed, the Dalek fleet made good time as it entered the Arcadian solar system. Two planets, both uninhabitable, were the only other astral bodies that orbited the blazing star at the heart of the system. The Daleks stayed true to their course, their minds fixated on their mission.

Spinning at a rate of thousands of miles per hour, the Dalek command ship looked as though it was taking a lazy spin through deep space. To see the gently revolving motion of the vessel was calming at a therapeutic level, disguising the potential for horror contained within. It resembled a battleship grey moon with a square patterned surface created by the numerous towers and devices scattered across it. Four chunky arms stretched from four sides of the planet, each carrying a blocky tower with ease. The dark matter impeller generators were the only thing powerful enough to move the massive ship. Powered by a Z-Neutrino core, the ships engines caused lumps of reality to fold in on itself, distorted as the law of physics were defied in order to force the command ship to travel. As it rolled onwards, pale links of antimatter trailed behind like streamers, leaving the space hundreds of miles from the back of the vessel unstable and destructive

Hundreds of Dalek saucers flew in front and around the titanic ship that dwarfed them with impunity. Most travelled in a straight line, matching course and pace with the command ship, while others assigned for security purposes danced expertly close to it, risking themselves in the gravity well as they searched for possible threats to the well being of the mighty vessel that led them. On either side of the fleet, two 'Exterminator' class flagships boxed the saucers in, helping to maintain the wide formation, while the third 'Exterminator' led the way into the darkness.

In the tactical chamber concealed deep near the very heart of the command ship, the extra-taxonomic control executive Dalek oversaw the progress of the entire armada.

"**Incoming transmission. Communication from point flagship."** a Dalek pilot's voice came through from the bridge.

"**Transfer communication through."** the executive ordered.

At once, a holographic screen blinked onto the front wall of the spheroid chamber.

"**Initial scans of Arcadia complete."** the designated veteran Dalek reported from where it commanded the lead Exterminator ship**. "An underground, city-scale construct has been detected close to the equator. A large number of life forms currently reside within the structure."**

"**It is the Arcadian Undercity. The destruction of the city will be the priority of the invasion."** said the executive without hesitation.

"**The planet surface is separated from the mid-level atmosphere by a large number of storms. Only one storm has been identified as being safe for our ships to descend through to the lower atmosphere. The planets conditions make orbital bombardment impossible."** the assault Dalek swivelled its head to check something, then turned back. **"Arcadia is known as a low technology planet. Their defences are predicted to be of minimal threat. Suggested strategy: full global descent to capture the mid-level atmosphere, followed by immediate advance into the lower atmosphere."**

"**Belief that Arcadia is a planet of low technological ability is a human misconception."** the master of the fleet replied in disgust. Even though the veteran Dalek was a council member, it was still essentially a standard combat unit. Having to liaise with non-Dalek creatures had made the head of the Dalek spy network more arrogant as it was forced to interact with and understand the inferior natures of lesser species, and so it had little tolerance for lower ranking units who were in a position to offer their ideas to a Dalek that was so much greater than them.

"**Spy intelligence reveals that in truth Arcadia has properties that allow its people to create unique technology that is not recognised as acceptable technological advancement. A full global descent would leave the Dalek fleet weakened and susceptible to attack. Daleks do not display weakness. A stratagem must be formulated."**

The veteran Dalek glared back at the executive, too outraged by the insulting put down to immediately reply. The anger only lasted a second, before the Dalek's inherited requirement to obey orders without question kicked in and quelled its dissatisfaction.

"**I obey."** it answered. **"Outrider saucers will be despatched immediately to gain detailed strategic information."**

The extra-taxonomic control executive ended the transmission without another word. It seethed to itself silently at the words of the veteran Dalek; at the audacity it had to make use of its limited authority to suggest a battle plan, which turned out to be invalid anyway. But that was the thing about Daleks. They could see where superiority and inferiority lay. Daleks understood that the chain of command dictated the whole structure of their society and allowed them to reach the heights of supremacy. Systems of government with elected leaders and concepts of diversity and variety were just a few of the things that made non-Daleks so inferior, and prevented them from seeing the truth that they were in every way lesser beings. The Arcadians, likewise, simply didn't have the ability to see that they were a low and flawed species who allowed their pain, fear and doubt to corrupt them from within and make them weaker than they already were. And that was why the Daleks were going to win.

* * *

_Beneath the dark matter of space there was another substance. Another spectrum; another_

_plane. A secondary perception of existence._

_The waking world and the alternate existence fed off of each other, influencing each other's actions, manipulating the course they took as they flowed together non-stop._

_In this secondary world, a conscious moved steadily with the flow, an iron strong will holding it together as it was buffered by a plethora of hybrid concepts; pain and pleasure, doubt and clarity, past and future, good and evil, life and death- all rolled into and against one another in a metaphoric ocean of both chaos and calm- a sea of possibilities that were simultaneously reasonable and beyond reason._

_Sight began to emanate from the consciousness. It peered defiantly into the twisting world that threatened to damn those who tried to understand it. The conscious filtered out that which it searched for with ease-_

* * *

-and then Aki woke up again.

Stumbling back, she was caught by Gonzales' strong arms, and he held her upright as she came back in touch with reality.

"Are you alright?" the Captain asked, the bite in his voice reduced marginally.

"Yes." Aki forced herself to stand up straight. After a very slight nod of 'thank you' towards Gonzales, she said "I saw what the Daleks plan to do. They will attack in two groups. The first will attack Valua. They will send about two hundred Dalek saucers down though the clouds to help hide the formation of their squadrons. Then they will deploy individual Dalek units to attack the defences while the saucers attack Valua itself. An 'Exterminator' ship will descend to the planet after the attack, appearing to head for Nasr, but as it enters the atmosphere it will change its course and attack Valua from the south."

"Then we'll need to arrange an ambush for it." Gonzales said absentmindedly. "What about the second group?"

"Another 'Exterminator' ship and around one hundred saucers will attack the Lands of Ice. They will try to melt the glaciers in order to disrupt the environment of Arcadia, making it almost impossible for our ships to fly safely. We have nearly an hour and a half before the attack begins."

"That's some very good information. Well done, Aki." Gonzales laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. They both looked into each other's eyes, and some sort of understanding seemed to pass between them. The moment, however, was spoilt by Julian Holm.

"It would be good information," he said impatiently "if we had some guarantee of how accurate it is. If just one detail is wrong it could doom our entire navy."

"My powers have always been reliable in the past, Brigadier." Aki said, not with anger, but with slight annoyance. "I am certain of what I saw."

"I'm not prepared arrange the battle plans of the Arcadian fleets on your word alone." the Brigadier looked to the Doctor, ignoring Gonzales as he stepped forward, clenching his fists. "Couldn't you at least try to investigate the Dalek attack pattern with your TARDIS, just to confirm the information?"

The Doctor was only partly paying attention to the officer. He was far too interested in Aki. When she'd used her 'Time Sight' ability, he'd felt something. His mind had sensed the power coming from. He'd sensed it because her mind had transformed into a state similar to his mind, and he knew that she, although probably not aware of it now, had glimpsed time itself.

There was defiantly more to the young woman than met the eye, and the Doctor resolved to find out more as soon as possible.

"Actually Brigadier, I think the Vice-Captain's assessment is accurate; more information won't be needed."

Holm's lips thinned and he gave the Doctor a long hard stare.

"Very well," said, giving in at last "we will begin forming a strategy momentarily. First of all, I need to meet with my fleet Admirals. I'll also see to it that a small scout force is sent to watch for the Dalek attack, just as a precaution."

The Brigadier turned and began to leave the room. Gonzales quickly muttered something to Robo, and then went after the officer, starting to argue that it was unnecessary and risky to send out a scout force. Robo turned and left the room via another door, to carry out whatever task his Captain had given. That left the Doctor with Aki and Vice-Commodore Juárez.

"Well," the Doctor said with a slight smile. "Better get started on that strategy. "


	4. Chapter 4

The Dalek command ship had taken up position, in distant orbit around the target planet. Using Arcadia's own moons to conceal their movements, the 'Exterminator' flagships led their complement of battle saucers into position over the planet, the remaining five hundred staying with the command ship.

On board said ship, the commander of the fleet had left the solitude of the tactical chamber and had taken up position on the bridge in a typical display of Dalek power. Around it, semi-translucent rectangular holoscreens displayed the images of ranking officers in the fleet. The designated veteran Dalek, along with a dozen or so saucer commanders, tactically minded controller Daleks, front line command Daleks and the supreme command Dalek (originally the head of the fleet) waited for their orders.

"**The first phase of attack has begun."** the executive Dalek announced. **"The 'Exterminator' commanders will report their status immediately."**

"**The prime attack squadron is in position."** the veteran Dalek replied with apparent eagerness.

A silver and blue science research Dalek said **"Secondary attack force in position. Additional time required to reorganise squadrons. Dreadnaught class enemy ships detected in Polar Regions."**

Finally, from the supreme command Dalek-

"**Diversionary bombing squadron in position. Estimates suggest that wide scale orbital bombardment will be ineffective against Arcadian topography."**

"**The strategy will proceed as planned."** the leader of the fleet spoke angrily to the former leader. **"The attack will begin in six hundred rels."**

"**We obey!"**

The meeting stopped for now, and the Daleks concentrated on the task of preparing the fleet for imminent battle. The quiet only lasted for a moment.

"**Alert! Alert!"** the supreme command Dalek hollered. **"Energy discharge detected within target planet's atmosphere. Incoming energy pulse!"**

Before any orders could be given, a powerful quake shuddered through the command ship, accompanied by the sound of rolling thunder.

The extra-taxonomic control executive swivelled its head to survey the rumbling ship and barked **"Report!"**

"**Scans detect twenty high powered weapon discharges from the target planet. Weapons identified as moonstone cannons."** a pilot on the command ship said.

"**Energy discharge has penetrated the shields of 'Exterminator point 2'."** the supreme command Dalek quickly assessed the damage to its ship. **"Energy discharge registers as weak. Hull penetration at less than one percent. Commencing repairs."**

Another command ship pilot said **"Enemy attack trajectories calculated. Accuracy estimated at eighteen percent."**

The Dalek in charge of the fleet dismissed the pilot with a look, then addressed its direct underlings.

"**The enemy weapon fire is not designed for extra-terrestrial combat. The current attack is of no consequence to the Daleks. Continue with the strategy. Ignore all subsequent attacks."**

"**We obey!"** the Daleks chorused once again.

"**Phase two will begin soon. Begin scanning for Time Lord activity. Find the Doctor."**

* * *

On the Isle of Saile, a mile or so north of the Soltis Bastille, the moonstone cannon at the Saile garrison opened fire again. A beam of pink tinted energy connected with the top of the sky like a pillar. The floating island and the platform extensions that held the large town shook in the backwash of smashed atoms and burnt air.

"_Damn it to hell!"_ a young woman's voice exclaimed over a radio as the blast caught the fins of her 'Engager'. Commander Canaan Li looked in rear view refractor on the roof of his cockpit just in time to see her nearly go head first into the ship in front of her.

"Hold it together, Flight Officer." he tried to sound professional, though truthfully he felt tempted to join in with the laughs of the other three members of his squadron. Barbara 'Harpoon' Armstrong was one of two members of the Saile 12th Striker Class squadron who were vying for the position of cockiest pilot, and to see her floundering from fire from one of their own cannons was highly satisfying in its irony.

"_Easy said than done boss. Ain't they 'sposed to be aiming at the rust buckets?"_

"_Don't know why they bother."_ said the other woman in the group, second in command Colonel Samantha Mosconi _"The ozone layer will eat most of the energy before it gets anywhere near those ships; they're just wasting their time."_

"They're doing it because that's what the higher ups tell them to do." Canaan addressed all his wing mates via the general frequency. "It is just for show. The real Dalek smashing begins with us. The Precision Class squadron assigned to us is just coming up now, so switch to battle frequency and call signs."

Several 'clicks' sounded through the cockpit as the communications transmissions changed to more secure lines. As soon as the Nasrian Commander changed his frequency, a new voice was already coming through to him.

"_This is the Claudia 3__rd__ Precision Class squadron. Lead code name __Blitz Bolt__. Do you read me?"_

* * *

"_This is __Up With The Sun__ to __Blitz Bolt__. __Gregorius __Von Brandt, are you really still alive?"_

Marshal Von Brandt smiled ironically as the Commander's dark skinned face appeared on his comm device. The leader of the three ship bomber group had known Canaan for years, and ever since the younger man had been made head of the 'Engager' squadron, they had frequency been assigned to work together to face various threats to Arcadian peace and security.

"Don't get clever with me Commander. I was flying sorties when you were still in the grunt fleets learning the difference between a sardis and a sky eel."

Canaan chuckled light heartedly.

The three 'Assaulter' ships (or bombers as most worlds would call them) manoeuvred to join the five 'Engagers', their chucky cubic shapes looking ugly next to the sleek, oval light attack craft. Where the fighters had artistically forward sweeping repulser wings and four retracting spike fins at the rear of their ships, the bombers had rudder equipped tails and cumbersome circular engines piping away either side of the two-man cockpit, which combined with the revolver chamber style missile batteries on top, made the savage aircraft look like a four-year-olds idea of what a flying car would look like. The ominous gunmetal black that coloured the ships completely was the only indication of the fury their weaponry could deliver. Being stationed in Mid-Ocean, the fighters were naturally a shade of white in honour of the silver moon above, only the twin repulser guns and four guided rockets at the front allowed to keep their natural colour.

They took up position behind the shining silver fighters of the Saile 12th, Von Brant in the Blitz Bolt, and his wing mates in the Fire Wall and the Catch This. The fighters were the Up With The Sun (Canaan's ship), the Chaos Theory (Colonel Mosconi's) and the Shoot 1 For Me (Barbara Armstrong), along with the ships of the two male Flight Officers, Moving Target and Chop 'Em Up.

"We're in position. Begin briefing Commander" unlike other armies, Arcadia used rank to determine a person's job as well as their level of authority. Commander Canaan and Marshal Gregorius were of equal rank, and as the older man the bomber pilot should have taken command, yet it was a matter of Arcadian etiquette that 'Assaulter' pilots gave way to the authority of 'Engager' pilots.

"_Alright people."_ the Commander began. _"We've got intel straight from the prow on this one. Some major scientific advisor in command says the Daleks are going to be attacking Valua. We've going to be working alongside three other specialist squadrons, five mass swarm fleets and two bombarder fleets."_

There was a moment of silence as everybody acknowledged the vast scale of the operation. The silence was broken by the voice of the second smart-mouthed pilot in the Saile squadron.

"_Sorry to spoil the happy moment,"_ Gaspard Blanchet radioed from the Moving Target _"but if this is gonna be such a massive battle, shouldn't we be like, ten miles closer to Valua. I know you're the best shot Commander but tryin' to hit something from this far-"_

"_Cut it out pilot."_ Canaan sounded annoyed; or was he tense?

"_This is no laughing matter. All specialist squadrons have been assigned to strategic positions between Nasr and Valua. After the first attack wave comes in we're to be ready to ambush a ship that's supposed to come down and attack Valua from the south; they say it's going to be a capital class."_

"_A capital class!"_ someone exclaimed. Despite all their long experience as combat fliers, none of the pilots have ever even seen a capital class star ship before. Few people on Arcadia had since the world simply didn't have the resources to even think of creating such a massive piece of hardware for themselves. And now they were expected to shoot one down before its weapons took their terrible toll on one of the greatest land masses on the planet.

"_Man, I knew I should have joined the infantry."_ said Barbara 'Harpoon' Armstrong.

* * *

If anything, the infantry were having an even worse time of it, especially in the lands under the purple moon.

In the Arcadian infantry, Sergeant was only one rank above Trooper, yet Sergeant Dayo Walkers still felt as though the responsibility she held was threatening to crush her.

Still, at least she wasn't in the same situation as the platoon Lieutenant. Both of them had been promoted far sooner they should have been. Dalek scout ships that had made it past the collection of bounty hunters and military ships that prowled deep space had made some experimental attacks against Arcadia, and the original Lieutenant and Sergeant in charge of their platoon had been killed. The two low ranking soldiers were only supposed to assume temporary command until the frigate they were assigned to returned to Soltis and experienced officers could be transferred. Now it looked like they would never get back to Soltis.

Floating over the barren icy wastes for miles around, dozens of dreadnaught gunboats waited, silent and unmoving in the frigid wind. Like sky sharks patiently biding their time before making the killing blow, more of the ships hid in the thick cloud cover beneath the lip of the polar continent. Although they couldn't all be seen in the dense fog, there were likely to be more than a hundred of these ships positioned in the area. The impending battle would be monstrous.

Each frigate was a hundred feet long and shaped like a barbed arrow head. With the bridge and control towers set at the back of the vessel, almost the whole top surface of the ship was free to equip with several high velocity shell cannons. The double barrelled guns were mounted with four on either side of the boat, leaving a sort of trench in between the two sets. A little way in front of the bridge, a quartet of torpedo tubes were already open in preparation. The remaining space on the deck was taken up by foot soldiers that were dragging complicated looking pieces of machinery into place.

Apart from the standard moonstone ballistae, the troops had been ordered to deploy another type of heavy weapon supplied by human empire's military command. The neo-EMP projector delivered electrical blasts supposedly strong enough to disable a Dalek travel machine and cook the mutants themselves alive. They looked like a pair of giant tripods that had been balanced on top of each other, tip-to-tip, and were about as structurally stable as such. They'd already broken eight just carrying them out of the cargo hold.

"You really think this thing is going to be enough to total a rust bucket?" one of the Troopers called over the gale that whistled through the barrels of the ship mounted weapons. The technician he was talking to tipped his head to the side, the shrug on his face hidden by the mask studded with blue and red moonstone pellets.

"It'll have to be." Sergeant Walkers said. "We've gotta make sure the Daleks don't try and cut their way inside the ship. If those things don't work, we'll have to rely on these." she indicated with disgust the carbine hanging from her shoulder. With the latest attack on the human race, the Arcadian troops had been forced to set aside the ancient tradition of using personalised weapons powered by moonstones in order to use the latest mass produced laser rifles; brutal, inelegant, and environmentally disastrous. Dayo thought longingly of her dagger and flintlock back in the barracks.

As they waited while the technician struggled to connect the power supply with mitten clad hands, there was a slight tremor in the air. They all ignored it at first, assuming it was some minor fluctuation in the ships engines, but then they felt another shudder, and then another. In the time it took for the technician and the soldier to climb to their feet, the air was filled with little shudders. Across the deck, everyone else was looking around in equal confusion.

"It's coming from above." the Sergeant looked up to the sky as she spoke.

"Sonic pulses." the technician said grimly. "Ships entering the planet's atmosphere. The Daleks are coming."

* * *

The atmosphere of the operations room was solid tension. No one spoke. They'd done all they could to prepare. Every military owned ship on the planet had been made ready and positioned for the coming battle. Strategies and counter strategies had been planned and distributed to every commanding officer, and every tactical operator across the planet had set up a direct link to Soltis to get live updates on the Dalek movements. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the first attack.

Neither the Brigadier nor any of the other bounty hunters had come back, and Vice-Commodore Juárez had taken to pacing nervously round the room, impatiently nudging anyone he decided wasn't paying enough attention to their work. That left the Doctor sitting alone with Aki at the back of the control dais. Aki was distracting herself by reading from a leather bound journal, while the Doctor used the internet to brush up on his Arcadian history.

He'd found very little on silver magic. Despite the worlds lasting interest in arcane powers, the study of silver moonstones had died out after bloody civil war that took place several thousand years ago. The only reference he found to the abilities of silver magic users were myths and legends, mostly based around a girl called Fina who (if the stories were to be believed) had been the last member of a race known as silvites, and had been an ally of the great pirate king Vyse.

Still, with a few minutes grace before the Dalek onslaught, there was no reason why he shouldn't just ask Aki about it. She seemed to be taking the situation pretty well; in fact he felt quite impressed with her.

"So," he said casually "time sight?"

Aki looked up sharply. The Doctor assumed she'd probably be as hostile and suspicious of him as her Captain, so he ploughed on before she had the chance to ignore him.

"It's very interesting to me. From what I've heard, 'magic' from the silver moon is barely even heard of these days, but you're able to use it in apparently great quantities. You must have a very sharp mind to have that power. How does it work exactly?"

Aki looked away without answering. The Doctor tried a different tactic.

"Oh come on; don't be coy. Surely a little part of you wants to let people know how clever you are to have been able to use those powers? It's not as though I don't have an idea of what it's like- when you used that time sight I felt it in your mind. It was an impressive display, but from what I saw I bet I could get the hang of it if I had a silver moonstone of my own."

The Doctor had been hoping to goad Aki into spilling the beans. He was expecting her to be affronted, either because he'd seen part of her mind, or because he suggested that learning silver magic wasn't such a big deal. To his surprise, Aki didn't display any anger at all. As she looked up at him again, no malice seemed to radiate from her eyes. If anything, she seemed shy and nervous. Now the Doctor wondered if by trying to rile her, he'd intimidated her into clamming up completely.

"I... I didn't think... your saw my mind?" Aki stammered slightly, her voice nearly lost in the clothing over her face.

"Well, not clearly." the Doctor quickly tried to repair the damage he'd caused. "Just had an impression of what that 'spell' did. You know I'm a Time Lord- I have perceptions that make me see the movements of time automatically." he explained with an apologetic smile.

Aki relaxed a little at the smile. She said "Well, the power of the silver moon does have links to the flow of time, so that's understandable."

"Well," the Doctor tried again "how exactly does it work then? I've searched and searched but I can't find any concrete scientific analysis of the silver moon."

"No, there never has been. The silver moon is made of a form of incarnated psychic energy, so effectively the moon itself is filled with 'thoughts' of its own. Because the moons are part of the balance of Arcadia's existence, the silver moon is filled with the concepts that make up the underlying structure of Arcadia's existence. That means concepts of time, matter, life and death."

The Doctor nodded his head appreciatively.

"Well, that's quite a moon. Very impressive to have mastered those sorts of powers when you're so young."

Aki looked away again, but the Time Lord could have sworn he'd seen a little blush rising up her face. The Doctor smiled; Aki was certainly a pleasant change to Gonzales' moody disposition.

"Thank you, but I'm not as young as I look you know."

"That makes two of us."

The Doctor paused for a moment as Aki gave gentle titter. Apparently she was aware of Time Lord's massive life spans.

"So the silver moon controls life as well?"

"Absolutely. Magicians from the dark ages were able to create golem servants by putting life into metal bodies. They could also cause instant death to their enemies, or even save people from the brink of death. But most of those powers really have been lost through the ages."

"That's still quite a lot of power. With a silver moon stone, you could probably turn that power towards yourself and extend your own lifespan."

The warmth that Aki's eyes were giving out just a moment ago dampened a bit when the Doctor said that. She looked at him with uncertainty.

"In fact, with the silver moon shining its power on Mid Ocean constantly, you could probably extend your life indefinitely." the Doctor carried on as though he hadn't noticed Aki's unease.

"Doctor," Aki leaned towards him a little "when you said you sensed me using the time sight spell-"

"To look into time like that you'd have to have already concentrated silver magic into yourself. I'll wager you'd need a lot of time to train and gain experience to do that with such skill; the sort of time you'd only get if you extended your life by many years beyond its natural end."

Aki looked away. The Doctor watched as her confidence drained away. He didn't like distressing the young girl (or old girl? Who knows how long she may have been alive) but he needed to have some answers.

"I take it you were the one who found out about me and the Time Lords. With your time sight I must have been an open book to you."

Aki met the Doctors eyes, guilt and shame coming from her plainly.

"I'm sorry Doctor." she said. "I didn't want to manipulate you, but I and Captain Gonzales had to do something to save Arcadia. After the rest of our crew were killed by the Daleks, we knew we weren't strong enough to stop them. You were our only hope."

The Doctor found he couldn't bring himself to feel angry with Aki. In many ways he saw similarities between him and her. They both had unnatural abilities that set them apart from others, they had more age and wisdom than most people would probably ever understand, and the Doctor couldn't deny that in the past he too had made some pretty ruthless decisions for the sake of the greater good. He returned her gaze, a little bit of disappointment in his expression.

"No need to be sorry; you only did what you felt was right."

Aki didn't answer.

An uncomfortable silence came over the pair. The Doctor quickly filled the vacuum by saying "You don't seem at all like the other bounty hunters, except perhaps Robo. How did you end up becoming one of them?"

The Arcadian woman seemed a bit hesitant to answer, but she gave in to a pleading look from the Time Lord.

"Well, since I have these powers, I want to use them to help people. And I enjoy the thrill of a good adventure very much. But in the end, I think the main reason is because I'm inspired by the stories of the Blue Rogues."

"Blue Rogues?" the Doctor asked. "You mean the pirates from ancient myths. Why?"

"Well, their lives were full of everything I want in my life- adventure, exploration, a chance to help people, rewards for defeating criminals and spoils of war to be gained from fighting them."

"So essentially the Blue Rogues were just a bunch of cut throats?"

"No, it wasn't like that in those times." Aki said, for the first time with an exasperated tone. "Arcadia was a different world back then."

"Well, it's just that in my experience people who make a living by fighting and stealing from others are rarely good people."

Aki shook her head and said "In the ancient times, Arcadia was a world of very limited resources. It still is, but back then they didn't have the technology that we have today. People didn't even have the ships to travel to all parts of the world, so trade was almost non-existent. Eventually, those who obtained enough power began empire building in order to seize as much land, food and water for their own people as possible. Many of those outside these empires began to stave. Some became ruthless killers known as 'Black Pirates' but most people were peaceful and didn't want to become like that. The Blue Rogue pirates started as an alliance of sailors who collectively served their communities by stealing supplies from the empires and sharing them throughout the smaller, less bountiful regions. The Blue Rogues had a strict code of morals and ethics that were so highly developed that in some unsettled regions they were more like law enforcers than pirates."

"I see." the Doctor took a moment to think about Aki's brief history lesson. It certainly made sense, and explained why all Arcadian history appeared to be based round anything to do with air pirates. It also explained why the whole world thought so much of the pirate king Vyse.

The Doctor was suddenly struck by a thought.

"In your original life, before you used silver magic to extend it, were there still air pirates on Arcadia?"

Aki reacted surprise at the Doctor's guess. After a second or two she said "Yes, actually."

'_So that's why she was so uppity when I called the Rogues cutthroats.'_ thought the Doctor. _'She's had experience of what they were really like. But that must make her thousands of years old!'_

Another thought struck the Doctor. He turned back to the computer he'd been using and brought up an image.

"Look at this, Aki." he said.

The mysterious woman stood and moved over to the Doctor so she could see the computer. On the screen was an image of a famous piece of Arcadian artwork. Though the pixelated screen did it no justice, the picture was clearly of a fabulous oil painting, depicting three heroic looking characters standing on the deck of a flying galleon. The man at the centre of the group was the great Vyse, with his distinctive Mid Oceanic features and eye patch. To his left was a girl in a dull yellow sort of bodice, with flaming red hair and a wild smile on her face. To Vyse's right was a dainty looking girl wearing a white dress and veil over her shoulder length blond hair.

"This girl in white; she pops up quite a lot in those old legends. Fina, last of the silvite race- a civilisation that lived under the silver moon and had an advanced understanding of technology _and_ silver magic."

The Doctor turned back to Aki again and said "I'm thinking that to use silver magic as well as you do, you'd need a brilliant teacher. And since Fina is the only recorded survivor of the silvite race; you wouldn't by chance have lived long enough to have known her, would you?"

Aki looked at the Doctor, the expression in her eyes unclear. She seemed uncertain how to react. The Doctor wondered if maybe he should give up his questioning. Then again, it was more than just curiosity that made him ask Aki about her past. He wanted to understand more of her nature, her way of thinking. Not just so he knew it was safe to trust her, but because of a certain connection he felt they had. The similarities in their character and the link to her mind he felt when she used her time sight was not something he intended to ignore. So he waited quietly and patiently to see what she'd say.

"It depends on what you mean by 'known her'." Aki said, choosing her words carefully. "In truth, I know little of the person who taught me my powers. They were mysterious and secretive-"

'_So that's where you get it from.'_ the Doctor thought but didn't say.

"-but it's said in the legends that the air pirates Fina and Vyse departed from Arcadia itself after their friend Aika died. If that's true, I suppose Fina of the silvites must have left the world, and so I could not have learned magic from her."

"But can you be sure the legends were right about that story at all?"

"Most certainly, Doctor." Aki indicated the red haired girl on the computer screen. "The tomb of Aika was discovered centuries ago. The first city in Ixa'taka was built on the site of her grave and is name after her. If that part of the story is true-"

"What I meant was, were you there to see it?" the Doctor interrupted.

This time, Aki didn't bother to try and talk her way out of a direct answer. She looked down to the floor clasping her hands nervously under her robes.

Deciding he was fighting a losing battle, the Doctor looked back towards his bank of computers.

The silence went on for a minute or two, both the Time Lord and the Arcadian trying to decide what to say next. They weren't allowed the opportunity, as an alarm began screaming. Everybody in the room was thrown violently from their thoughts and back to reality as every radar scanner in the room reported major disturbance.

"We have a blue DEFCON situation!" one of the senior Operator's in the control dais shouted as the Vice-Commodore came rushing over. "Dalek ships have entered the atmosphere! One minute till they're in attack range!"

* * *

"**Prime attack squadron will reach attack range in fifty eight rels."** the designated veteran Dalek reported.

"**Confirmed."** answered the executive Dalek. **"All Dalek communications will now be limited to priority battle reports."**

The holoscreens cut off after a quick **"We obey!" **from the Dalek leaders.

From where it stood on the bridge, the Dalek in command of the fleet watched the logistical displays as the first wave of ships moved in for the attack.

"**Incoming transmission from target planet."** a pilot turned to its leader. **"Transmission frequency matches that of non-Dalek spy unit 'Beta-Gamma-6'."**

"**How has the transmission penetrated the communications barrier!?"** the senior Dalek roared.

"**An Arcadian scout ship has been deployed in the upper atmosphere of the planet."** the pilot said, unable to hide its worry at its master's outrage. **"A rogue signal is being relayed through the scout ship's communications systems. The signal has not been intercepted by the ship, or by the Arcadian military."**

"**Then cancel the transmission. Find the ship and destroy it. The spy must not be allowed to expose them self. They may still be of use to the Dalek cause."**

"**I obey!"**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hopefully you'll find this chapter more interesting than the others. They were filler chapters but they were necessary for the story.**_

_**Ps. Once again I'd like to thank **_Marcus S. Lazarus _**for the time he's sent betaing this fic so far. I feel I've got the hang of the 8**__**th**__** Doctor's personality now so you can stop betaing now- Thank You!**_

* * *

* * *

First battle for Arcadia

The Daleks as ever were swift, efficient, and brutal. The fight that began the war for the picturesque planet began with the scout ship meant to watch for the approaching enemy.

A single Dalek saucer engaged the shuttle as it attempted hopelessly to retreat back into the planet's atmosphere.

"This is 'Scouter 1', we are under attack; request urgent assistance!" the Captain of the vessel yelled into his radio as his unarmed ship shook and faltered under the barrage of missiles.

The radio screeched hideously as one of the antennas outside was blown off, then another message came through.

Not the one the Captain was expecting.

"_**Your transmissions have been intercepted."**_ a Dalek voice blurted from the receiver. _**"You will not report to your superiors on the planet surface. You are powerless against the Daleks."**_

"Please, stop your attack." the Captain whimpered at the voice. "Our ship is unarmed. We surrender."

"_**Armaments are not relevant."**_ the voice that personified evil spoke again. _**"Your vessel has been identified as a weapon of espionage and observation. Your ship will be destroyed and you will be exterminated. Exterminate!"**_

"NO, WAIT!" the Captain wailed, but it was too late. Another wave of missiles hit the shuttle and cracked through to the interior.

The ship was turned inside out in a heartbeat.

* * *

"The Daleks are moving in for the attack!" the Brigadier stated as he entered the operations room.

"Orbital bombing strikes have been detected in Yafutoma." the Vice-Commodore answered with a quick salute.

"That's just a decoy, ignore it." the Doctor said as he looked at one the computers over an operator's shoulder. "It's defiantly the attack on Valua you want to worry about."

"We can't just leave those people to fend for themselves Doctor!" Holm sounded outraged. "What sort of image would that be to the people; that the Arcadian Combined Alliance Militia left the land of Arcadia's artistic heart to deal with such a crisis on their own? It is our duty to send a relief force to them to help cope with the disaster."

The Doctor took a moment to compose himself. Once again, he was forced to sound like a big bad wolf for the sake of the greater good.

"Brigadier, Yafutoma has the smallest islands on the whole planet. A bombing attack will be almost pointless; most of them will miss and fall into the lower atmosphere. The Daleks are just trying to distract you and convince you to send out emergency forces that will be needed more urgently back here."

"I will _not_ abandon a whole continent to the fury of the Daleks, Doctor!" Julian Holm drew himself to his full height as he raised his voice in pride (and complete pomposity, in the Doctor's opinion).

"I agree with you, Brigadier." a second, sinister voice said from behind the officer. "We should do what we can to protect all the lands of Arcadia."

The Brigadier turned around and saw who it was. Instantly his face took on a look of indecision as he tried to work out if he should be pleased or angry that one of the mercenaries had backed him up. He decided on saying nothing, and went to organise a relief force to be sent to the east.

The Doctor glared at the bounty hunter who grinned back craftily.

"Tell me Sergeant Hul, did you support the Brigadier because you honestly want Arcadia to be protected, or because you wanted to contradict me?"

The sontaran didn't look as dangerous as he actually was. Being only tall enough to come up to the Doctor's chest and with a domed head that looked like a baked potato, it wasn't easy to look anything but a joke. But the sneer on the alien's face more than made up for his physical appearance.

"Come on Doctor. I don't want to see Arcadia destroyed anymore than you do. It's a brilliant world for someone like me; if things had turned out differently, Arcadia could have been a paradise planet of combat and hunting for me."

The Doctor grimaced. Sontarans like Hul were mercifully rare- defective creatures so violent and bloodthirsty they ignored the sontaran chain of command in order to pursue their own quest of slaughter. Gonzales had insisted that he was safe since the Captain had won the soldier's loyalty by defeating him in a duel, but the Doctor still didn't trust him.

"Have you come here for a reason, Hul?" Aki asked in a stiff tone. Apparently she didn't think much of her blue-suited comrade either.

"Nothing important ma'am," he addressed her as though he was cursing, like all sontarans being highly anti-female "just reporting to operations until I may be needed for something. I also wanted to see the look on the Doctor's face when I tell him that Captain Gonzales has gone to join the battle in the Time Lord's Bowship."

"What!?" the Doctor cried out.

* * *

Above the city of Valua, the Dalek attack began.

As Aki predicted, the ships entered the tower of dust clouds as fast as possible. Hundreds of squadrons of standard grade Arcadian pilots stayed beneath the clouds and close to the city on the continent of the yellow moon, waiting for them to show themselves.

It took painful minutes as the Daleks presumably organised their forces as they descended, but at last they appeared. With the undersides of their fenders burning brightly, literally thousands of individual Daleks swarmed out of the cloud cover, the high pitched wails of Dalek lasers drowning out their battle cries of **"Exterminate!"** as they engaged the enemy ships without mercy.

The bombers did their best to swerve around the incoming fire, saving the heavy missiles for the saucers. The fighters, however, rushed in to answer the Daleks with a rage of their own. They used repulser guns as their main weapons- based on the velorium that kept the islands floating, repulser energy was the life blood of the Arcadian navy, giving the ships the ability to repel gravity and fly, and the ability to fire twin bursts of pure force field that was more than enough to smash a Dalek shell open.

As soon as the standard units had begun the battle, the saucers came down. First the 'Aggressor' class saucers, the fast attack ships that went straight for the city itself, followed by the bigger 'Dominator' class saucers, many of whom quickly deployed their second batch of a thousand Daleks to join the colossal air battle.

In the streets of the city, those still there for whatever reason ran for shelter as the golden discs fell upon the metropolis like wasps, deadly stings in the form of particle lasers catapulting down towards the tallest buildings, blowing the tops off and sending both debris hurtling to the ground and seismic tremors rolling through the city. Civilians and soldiers alike scattered under the attack, while Arcadia style shell cannons and imported laser turrets extended from strategic points in the huge town and started firing back at the ships.

High above, groups of bombers quickly dropped out of the chaos to help blast at the saucers laying siege to the city. They were quickly followed by several gleaming bronze Dalek units, who in turn were chased by handfuls of fighters. The Daleks were slow, only just matching pace with the 'Assaulter' ships, but they were highly manoeuvrable, in more ways than one. As the 'Engagers' closed the distance between the two groups, several Daleks slowed unexpectedly, their mid-sections swivelling about to fire at the fighters. They tried to dodge around the attack, but over a dozen of the light craft were destroyed before they could evade in time. Still the ships of Arcadia moved to attack the Daleks, buying as much time as they could for the 'Assaulters' to rain their missiles down on the saucers.

From the south, another ship rushed to join the battle- a ship unlike any other.

It was bigger than the Arcadian ships; about the size of a small shuttle. It was shaped like a thin, smooth spire with humpbacked curves stretching from end to end. Near the base was a collection of antennas that encircled the circumference of the vessel. The back end was blank and flat, revealing no clue as to how the craft propelled itself. On the tip of the construct was a depression that led down to a hole just big enough for a man to fit inside. Apart from the flat end and the hollow tip, the ship's surface was covered in a clear glassy material, showing the shuttle's body underneath as steely grey. This was the Time Lord Bowship.

Inside the capsule, Captain Gonzales lay in a bed of coral, crystallised spikes resting just centimetres from his head, allowing him to mentally integrate with the ship. Through the crystal coat of the ship, he felt the sky as it rushed past, his hearing picked up voices over the howling of the wind, and his vision stretched everywhere.

And everywhere was full of Daleks.

'_Gonzales!'_ an angry thought of his own name filled the Captain's head. He frowned, aware of who was speaking to him through the psychic messaging device.

'_Not now Doctor, I'm busy.'_ he thought to himself, trusting that the ship's translation circuits would turn his mind words into radio waves and send them back to the Bastille.

'_That Bowship is only a prototype! It's just a sample of the real thing; you have no idea if it's safe!'_ Gonzales' mind once again filled with words from the Doctor's lips.

'_I've used this ship before and it's been fine. I know what I'm doing.'_

'_So you don't mind if you get yourself killed then?'_

'_Unlike you, I'm not afraid to sacrifice myself to help others.'_

The Captain closed the link to the communicators with his mind. He forced himself to focus as his angry emotions threatened to distort the smooth running of the ship via the psychic controls. Aki had warned him that Time Lords were creatures who were supposed to just watch and not influence the universe with their overwhelming power, but as far as Gonzales was concerned, if they were supposed to sit back and do nothing, casually judging the 'inferior' races, what was the point of them living?

He was drawn away from his thoughts by the sight of two Daleks that appeared ahead of him. With the Bowship sensors, he could clearly hear them as they angled their gunsticks at him.

"**Exterminate!"**

Gonzales took aim and triggered the weapon system. From the hole at the end of the craft, a thin pole of metal pelted out towards the Daleks. The bolt struck the Dalek dead centre, smashing through the mid-section and out the other side with ease. The Dalek travel machine was tossed aside by the force of the impact as the bolt flew onwards, the remains of the mutant smeared all over the tip.

The second Dalek ducked, turning off it's engine in order to fall as fast as possible. The Bowship rolled after it and fired again, this time tearing off the top half of the machine. Gonzales clearly heard the monster inside screaming in pain as it fell to it's death in deep sky.

Something else shot across his vision. A fighter, Arcadian, badly damaged and smoking, chased by another two Daleks. The bounty hunter went after them immediately.

The Arcadian 'Engager' was faster, but the damage slowed it down and constantly evading enemy fire ate at the distance between the pursuers and the pursued. Gonzales fired with pinpoint accuracy, spearing a Dalek through the back. The second one lurched wildly in surprise of the unexpected attack. Seeing the Arcadian fighter wasn't at risk of getting in the way for the moment, Gonzales used rapid fire against the Dalek, blowing it to pieces. Like a TARDIS, the ammunition magazine was bigger on the inside; plenty of mighty bolts of steel to go.

Another ship, this time a bomber, was being chased by a single Dalek. Gonzales zoomed in to help, but this time the Dalek saw him. The middle of the Dalek spun round and laser fire came streaming his way. One shot hit the side of the ship. The energy was reflected away by the crystal surface, but the heat melted a gap in the substance. Phantom shards of pain dug into the Captain's mind as he sensed the damage to the ship, but he pushed it aside and returned fire, rolling aside of another Dalek shot.

As they raced through the sky, the pilot of the bomber realised what was going on behind and performed an unorthodox distraction tactic. The 'Assaulter' fired a pair of rockets harmlessly into the air. Smoke blew out the back of the missile batteries, smothering the Dalek. Gonzales saw it happen and quickly took advantage of the move, using advanced Bowship manoeuvres to dart right underneath the confused Dalek.

"**Warning! Vision impaired!"** it shrieked.

"Sucks to be you." Gonzales mumbled as he fired.

The bolt entered through the fender and jammed inside the Dalek with the tip of the steel bolt stabbed through the dome. The machine fell and bounced harmlessly off the head of the Bowship.

'_This is Ship -A11- of the Valuan 3__rd__ Mass Blockader Squadron.'_ the bomber radioed into Gonzales' mind. _'Thanks for the help.'_

'_This is -Rogue Gallery-. You're welcome.'_

The words had barely gone through Gonzales' mind when the bomber exploded, happening too fast for pilot or co-pilot to try and escape. Before the fire had dispersed, ten more Daleks dropped into the path of the Bowship.

Gonzales sent the vessel into a chaotic evasive manoeuvre, diving and dodging, rolling and varying speed drastically to try and escape as the Dalek swarm started to give chase.

Extermination rays buzzed past the ship, and many more scored direct hits that melted the crystallised coating and scotched the metal skin of the Time Lord battleship.

The damage on the outside was made obvious as Gonzales felt his mind burning with the psychic kickback from the sensations he detected from the hull. In a desperate move, he jammed the engines and spun the ship 360⁰ to face his attackers, firing the bolt cannon non-stop. He successfully skewered three Daleks, and cut the manipulator arm off another, but the others spread outside the field of fire and used the Bowships suddenly drop in momentum to their advantage, laying down heavy streams of lasers.

The translucent covering of the ship was almost completely burnt off, and the metal skin was quickly charred black. The coral inside began to pop in the heat, and Gonzales nearly passed out as the air was poisoned by burning electronics. Sealing his helmet, he ordered the afterburner to fire up to get him to safety, but the ship didn't respond. The ship's technology failed to cope with the effort it was going through, and without warning it shut down, severing the Captain's link with it.

Without a sound, the Bowship began to fall like a dart to the crushing storms of deep sky kilometres below, floundering in throws of death.

* * *

The wind over the polar regions was thick with steam as the super hot weaponry of the Dalek saucers scalded the frigid air. The intensified fog made combat even more confusing, even for the Daleks. More than once a saucer and a gunboat had collided in a catastrophic ball of fire that had annihilated them both. The terrible weather made it impossible for light aircraft to take to the skies, but that didn't stop the Daleks sending out their pepper pot shaped travel machines. The crews and infantry platoons on board the dreadnaughts worked tirelessly to take out as many of the Daleks as they could, knowing this was only the beginning.

On the left side of gunboat -Orion-, a double barrelled turret exploded with a quaking blast. Dalek heavy particle lasers tore the sky like lightening as a high speed attack saucer rocketed past, dropping a smattering of Daleks like bombs.

The Lieutenant was dead, leaving Sergeant Dayo Walkers in charge of the platoon- twenty six men and women looking to her for guidance.

'_Frak, what a day!'_ she thought.

"Incoming Daleks!" a senior Trooper announced unnecessarily as the Daleks spread out, some heading to the bridge of the ship while others moved to the prow where Dayo and her troops were set up.

"You have to draw them in closer or the EMPP won't work!" the technician called over the ghostly wail of the wind as he indicated the neo-EMP projector.

"Well that shouldn't be difficult!" another trooper shouted furiously. "Just wave our arms about and-"

Before he could finish, a bright blue Dalek laser shot down and struck him with all the finality of the wrath of God. His flesh was x-rayed in toxic green, displaying his skeleton as the body went into spasm and the mouth snapped open in a tortured scream. The effect dissipated after a few seconds, and the lifeless body with burnt black eyeballs slammed face first against the deck.

Everyone was so taken by surprise they just stopped and stared at the corpse, not responding until the same fate befell another of their friends, her yell inspiring waves of nausea among them all.

Like insects they scattered, looking for safety as more rays poured down, some so powerful they exploded on impact with the ship. Soldiers were thrown aside by the blasts, limbs flying free, bones shattered by the concussive waves. Sporadic gunfire soon began to challenge the Daleks, pure white blasts from the thick barrelled rifles seeking to deter the invaders, along with the bigger, bulkier heavy-matter guns that could smash a Dalek with one shot. Though the flying attack units suffered a few hits and began to weave about cautiously, none went down.

"Use a red moonstone in the ballista, with extra smoke cartridges!" Dayo ordered with a confidence she didn't know she had- the rush of combat seemed to have awoken the officer in her.

Troops rushed to comply with the command, two of them losing their lives to extermination in the process. That left seventeen members of the platoon. Two of them stood in front of the Arcadian artillery piece, firing with more speed than accuracy in order to draw the Dalek's concentration to them rather than the ballista. At the ballista itself, another two Troopers loaded a football sized red moonstone into the engine, while another put smoke cartridges in the upper section. The top of the ballista was a cannon barrel mounted on a ball joint, making the contraption look oddly similar to a Dalek.

Another explosion sent the two ballista sentries flying over the edge of the ship. Dalek beams started to impact around the heavy weapon. Ignoring the attack out of military discipline, the Troopers twisted the cannon barrel to point in between the group of Daleks, and one of them slammed down the firing lever.

There was a crack from inside the engine as the moonstone was shattered. Then a second later, the energy of the stone erupted from the barrel in the form of a huge fireball. The mass of flames took off into the air and exploded among the mutant carrying machines, knocking several out of the air and shrouding the rest in a smoke screen.

In the madness of battle, Dayo found herself feeling strangely calm. Now that the fighting had begun, fear seemed so pointless. She knew exactly what had to be done.

"Aim for the ones who've lost their balance." she ordered clearly into the radio, before leading by example and shooting at the Daleks who fallen lower than their fellows. She was quickly followed by the rest of the platoon, who came out from behind turrets, air vents and walls of sandbags to try their luck at killing the Daleks. Two burst into flames as the shells could no longer take the damage of so many laser rifles. Another two were punched down by heavy-matter guns. That was all they could get before the Daleks had reorganised themselves and began coming down through the smoke to seek revenge.

The ballista was knocked aside by a blast, and a Dalek was caught in the line of fire of one of the ships huge turrets. The other Daleks continue to descend, killing three more as they went.

Then, finally, the greatest enemies of man touched down on the deck of the ship.

"**Exterminate!"**

Dayo was knocked aside by the falling corpse of one of her men, saving her from an energy blast that burned over her head. A sizzle and a scream warned that someone else had been killed.

"_They're in range! Get yer heads down!"_ the technician's voice shouted over the platoons radio network.

Sergeant Walkers stayed put, crouching behind a wall of sandbags, when a Dalek trundled around the corner and glared down at her with it's baleful blue eye.

"**Exterminate!"** it roared.

The gunstick turned on the acting officer, and she felt a wave of sickness overcome instead of the mind numbing terror she'd been expecting. Then she noticed the noise.

A furiously blank sound of static washed over all sound in the Sergeant's head, and her body seized up as the charge from the neo-EMP projector sparked in blobs of electricity around the Dalek and channelled some excess energy into her, forcing her crew cut hair to stand on end.

The energy wave calmed down after a few seconds, leaving five steaming Dalek travel machines on the deck while two more dropped out of the sky and clanged against the side of the ship, the mutant pilots clearly dead. The remaining six Daleks high up in the air took the hint and backed off, looking for a saucer with which to regroup.

The infantry used the opportunity to take stock of their situation. There were eight soldiers left alive, plus the technician. No wounded; only dead bodies.

There were grim expressions all round, and a few tears, but the battle was still going on, and the Troopers knew their duty. The soldiers quickly began heaving the bodies to the hatches to be stored inside the ship till proper burials could be arranged. Weapons and equipment were tentatively plucked from the dead and redistributed among the survivors.

"For you, Dayo?" a Trooper of barely twenty approached with med kit. Dayo brushed the kit aside, too preoccupied in forcing herself not to think of how many they'd lost in just one attack (something she found disturbingly easy to do). They had a job to do and the others were relying on her. She looked at the younger girl, who by the look of it was too shocked to really take in what had happen. They were both friends, not a lot of age difference between them, and yet the weight of responsibility mad Dayo feel old; perhaps too old to be able to offer support the young medic. Still, she had to try.

Dayo put her hand on her friend's shoulder and opened her mouth to speak when a nearby explosion drew all of her attention to the front of the -Orion-.

Ahead of the ship, the clouds parted to reveal a crippled 'Dominator' class saucer sandwiched between a pair of Arcadian dreadnaughts. The bronze hull of the saucer was pockmarked with craters, especially on the sphere that was the heart of the ship. The ring that encircled and rotated around the sphere was battered and burnt, with two of the four engine orbs shattered completely. On the side of the ring, there was a section that looked like a cargo door that was jammed open and was bleeding fire. By the look of it, the Dalek deployment area behind the door must have been big, and a many members of the ships legion of two thousand Daleks had probably been destroyed when it was attacked. Still, the 'Dominator' wasn't out of the fight. Even as the crew of the -Orion- watched, the Dalek troop carrier lurched upwards, getting a perfect aim at one of gunboats. The invader's ship sent down massive blue blasts at the native vessel, decimating the upper surfacing, killing everyone out on deck and obliterating nearly all its armaments. The smaller ship, less than half the size of the 'Dominator,' backed off, doomed as the bridge began to burn. The second frigate had managed to rise with the saucer, and continued pelting it with shells that flew headlong into the craft at sub-sonic speeds.

Another cargo door opened up in the side of the Dalek ship near the dreadnaught, perhaps hoping to flood it with individual Daleks. But the dreadnaught was ready, and the moment the saucer had finished opening the door, the sharp point of the ship opened out in three pieces like the petals of a flower unfolding, and long cannon barrel extended from the front of the gunboat. There was a strobe light affect as the accelerators charged at high speed, and then the moonstone cannon let rip. The pink shaded beam melted through the industrial strength frame of the cargo door with ease. The Daleks inside the bay were instantly transformed into puddles of liquefied metal. The blast continued onwards, slicing through the ship and out the other side in moments.

When the moonstone cannon ran out of juice, the barrel retracted into the ship and the hatches slammed shut. The Dalek hulk wobbled precariously in the air as the muted sound of secondary explosions inside made its way through the din of the still continuing surrounding battle. Then, at last, one of the internal explosions breached the lower hull of the ship at the point where a destroyed engine sat uselessly in its housing. Bit by bit, the underside of the Dalek 'Dominator' blew out completely, until the top half was left hanging pointlessly and powerless.

Cheers and taunts rang through the air from the -Orion- and the ship that'd delivered the death stroke as the Dalek ship drifted downwards, gaining momentum as gravity dragged it to its final resting place in the storm-ridden depths of the planet.

"_More incoming!"_ squawked the radio as a crew member from the bridge cut into the troop's comm. frequency. As if to prove the point, a smaller and faster saucer came pelting out of a particularly dense patch of cloud and sideswiped the other frigate, sending both ships careering about. A second, more prudent saucer came out of the clouds at a slower pace. It hovered over the top of the -Orion- and began firing at the bridge. A few particle rays scored some good hits, before a noise like an erupting volcano became the prelude to the launch of a pair of torpedoes. Firing out of the tubes in front of the bridge, the projectiles crashed into the belly of the 'Aggressor', the energy shields doing little to suppress the explosion. The saucer danced away from the dreadnaught, but not before it dropped off another squad of Daleks that zoomed towards the deck.

"Take cover!" Dayo yelled fiercely as extermination rays began to patter on the metal surface of the boat.

* * *

"Confirm another saucer destroyed in sector Nova, baring two hundred 'A'."

"Lost contact with gunboat -Volans-."

"Gunboats -Octans- and -Phoenix- moving towards Valua from the north."

"We've lost another moonstone turret."

The Doctor closed his eyes as the din of the control room went on and on. Just half an hour ago the room had been near silent. Now it was full of the sound of Operators working to coordinate the battles that raged above Arcadia.

"Still no sign of Captain Gonzales." Aki reported in an emotionless voice.

The Doctor looked round at her. Her eyes were blank, sealing off any indication of how she was feeling. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then she'd closed the blinds, with professional skill. The Doctor found it hard to worry about the psychopath who'd blackmailed and insulted him, but he felt concerned for Aki's well being. He moved over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't give up on him. The Bowship may only be a dummy vessel, but it'll still have a few emergency tricks up its sleeves."

Aki looked at the Time Lord. Again her expression was unreadable. The Doctor reminded himself that Aki was older than she appeared and had probably begun to find death stale; much like himself in fact. To him, death was not as painful as it would be to one who hadn't experienced so much of it. That was one of the factors he missed from Gallifrey - death just didn't happen there. With their long life spans and ability to regenerate (plus the ability to resurrect people through time reversal on occasion) death was a rare thing on the Time Lord planet. But in amongst the rest of the universe, death was commonplace, and painful to deal with. Yet as time passed, witnessing so much death forced the Doctor to see it as just something that happened with unfortunate regularity.

Still, when it came to travelling the stars, the good easily outweighed the bad. He looked at Aki, and for a moment pondered on how pleasant it would be to travel with someone who could understand the experiences he'd gone through. She had lived an excessively long life, had unique powers that singled her out and at the rate she was going was doomed to be on her own, something which the disappearance of Gonzales only seemed to prove.

'_I wonder if she'd like the TARDIS?'_

The Doctor instantly purged the selfish thought from his mind. Aki was worried about her Captain and Arcadia was being laid to waste by the Dalek Empire. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about finding someone to cure him of loneliness.

'_Still, once this is over...'_ a rebellious thought said.

"Well, here's hoping the Captain died an honourable death." said a cruel voice.

Both Aki and the Doctor glared hatefully at Hul the sontaran.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were hoping he was dead, Sergeant." Aki attempted to quell Hul's insolence by reminding him of his lower rank, but it didn't work.

"Well then, you _should_ know better, female. If Gonzales dies he won't have a hold over me, and I can go free to do what I want throughout Arcadia and fulfil my dream on finding my hunting paradise."

The Doctor shook his head in disgust. Sontarans were brutal, but at least they did understand honour and nobility- after a fashion. A regular sontaran wouldn't see the death of their duelling rival as a good thing, without having had the opportunity to re-challenge and defeat them. A normal sontaran would see it as one of the highest dishonours to be unable to restore their pride, but Hul's bloodlust obviously meant more to him than setting the score straight. It was surprising he even went along with the task of being in Gonzales service till he beat him again in a duel.

"We don't yet know for sure if anything has happened to him." the Doctor said coldly. "Until then, I suggest you be quite and stay out of everyone's way."

Hul's smile dropped. He regarded the Doctor for a long moment with a stony look on his face. If he thought of trying to counter the Doctor, he didn't show it. When he was done glaring he moved back and sat down in the chair occupied by the Doctor a while ago.

The Doctor and Aki ignored the brute and looked back to the giant view screen with the map of Arcadia.

The battle continued at the same pace for the next five minutes. The Arcadians were doing better that the Daleks in the arctic lands under the purple moon, but were more or less evenly matched in Valua. It was after five minutes that the situation changed.

Many sensor stations started sounding out small alarms at once; so many they made themselves heard over the racket of other battle reports and orders being shouted.

"What's going on out there?" Brigadier Holm and Vice-Commodore Juárez asked at the same time as they strode back to the dais.

"Red defcon!" one of the senior operators cried out suddenly. "Incoming capital class ships; two incoming 'Exterminators'!"

* * *

The vast discs that were the Dalek 'Exterminators' were a sight to behold. With a circumference greater than a city and a depth more than six giant arc-whales piled on top of each other, the flagships were dangerous to allow into the atmosphere of a planet, as their vast presence would disrupt the atmosphere to the extent that they could induce tornadoes and tidal waves.

Which suited the Daleks just fine.

In the polar regions, the 'Exterminator' dropped straight into the middle of the battle, hoping to punch through the mass of ships and strike at the glaciers in order to cripple Arcadia's weather near indefinitely. The second, as predicted, headed for the land of Nasr and dropped a few orbital bombs for good measure. As the Daleks had planned, however, the ship changed course as soon as it got beyond the ozone layer and moved north to attack the already besieged Valua. Many of the combined fighter/bomber specialist squadrons moved in to attack it, but most found themselves fighting for their lives with the escort of saucers.

"You've got another tail on you -Chop em up-," Canaan Li spoke as calmly as he could as he saw a Dalek swoop in behind Flight Officer Kaito.

"_Loose em', Tongues!"_ someone else shouted frantically as the Dalek blasts scored glancing blows on the pearl white 'Engager'. Before a direct hit could be made, the fighter sent out a pulse of sonic energy from its wings and boosted forward, leaving the Dalek trailing behind in its wake.

"_I'm clear."_ Kaito announced, passive as always- he didn't talk much, but with the tip of his tongue sliced down the middle and cauterised beyond repair, it wasn't surprising.

Canaan looked around and saw another Dalek closing in on an ally ship, but he was close enough to help this time. Twisting the yoke at an extreme angle, he plunged down towards the pair and depressed the firing stud of the joystick. Two balls of force field pulse shot through the air and struck the Dalek on the nearside. The travel machine was shaken apart in a nanosecond and burst into a pile of scrap.

He couldn't believe how badly they were doing. They were a specialist squadron, promoted from the mass squadrons for their skill and efficiency; allowed to name their ships and everything. Yet they were almost overwhelmed by the Daleks and at this rate when the capital class ship passed their way they'd be unable to respond.

"Light saucer incoming!" Ensign Hilary Webb, co-pilot of the -Blitz Bolt-, reported tensely.

Another fast attack Dalek ship came shooting toward the skirmish between the Dalek units and planetary defenders. The relatively small saucers carried less than fifty Daleks each, but their task was to attack larger ships and structures rather than assist in dogfights. While it did fire blindly at the Arcadian aircraft, the saucer slipped around the battle, heading for the Saile garrison, where the heavy moonstone cannon turret was waiting to take a piece out 'Exterminator' as soon as it passed across its firing range.

"Priority target the saucer!" Commander Li ordered, trying to turn again but finding himself crowded by more Daleks.

The bombers didn't go after the Dalek ship. They stayed on the fringes of the battle, saving their missiles for the flagship. Two of the fighters took off towards the saucer, intending to strike with their dwindling supply of guided rockets.

"_This is -Chaos Theory-; me and -Moving Target- are going for the saucer."_

Canaan tried to reply but was too distracted as a laser hit the back of the ship and blew off a fin. He expertly allowed the ship to tumble out of control for a second to shake off the following Daleks, before compensating the power output to regain stability.

An 'Assaulter' rumbled past, nearly clipping the Commander's ship. A pair of Daleks swept by in pursuit. One spun its turret round and fired wildly at the officer's ship before it turned its attention back to the bomber.

Canaan jetted forward to help. He fired a duo of energy shots, but in his haste the aim was slightly off. About half of one of the blows hit a Dalek, sending it spinning away wildly. Commander Li doubted the Dalek would get dizzy, but had to leave it as the second bronze target kept up the attack on the bomber, causing one of its engines to catch fire. The fighter surged forward as the Dalek moved so that a stray shot would move on to strike the heavier Arcadian ship. Li had to be careful, but he also had to be quick, or else the bomber was done for.

The radio continued to erupt with battle reports from his wing mates, along with the occasional exclamation of savage joy at a kill or frustration at coming under fire. The Commander blanked it out, trusting to years of experience that he'd recognise if something important came through.

A decoy flare dropped out the back of the 'Assaulter'. The Dalek ignored it completely and kept pestering the ship. The matt-black armour was reaching melting point; all it would take was a single direct hit...

Canaan detected the tiniest shake of his vessel as he fired again. The repulser rounds brushed underneath the Dalek and well beneath the bomber. The technology that allowed the Dalek to fly fluctuated and the travel machine fell a few feet. Canaan was on him in an instant, spinning his 'Engager' onto its side and firing the repulser guns again. The shots found their mark, but this time they didn't flow around the edges of the machine; the Dalek shell absorbed the blast completely into itself, and the rear part of the Dalek squashed firmly into the front.

Something dark squirted out of the shell and a few drops of it splattered on the Commander's canopy, and he cursed badly as the foul Dalek entrails were smeared over the plastic by the wind.

Any feeling of triumph was further diminished as the first Dalek came back again and fired at the bomber which had made the mistake of relaxing for a moment. The ray gutted the back of the ship, spilling wreckage into the air that Canaan was forced to dodge around. The bigger ship began to fall out of the sky, but before it did a pair of pilot seats shot out from the front of the bomber as the pilot and co-pilot ejected.

As soon as Commander Li saw their wing-like evac gliders spread open, he turned his attention away from the survivors and back to the Dalek, who was weaving about so madly he wasn't sure if it was being extra cautious or if the near miss had screwed up its balance. He sent three rounds of repulser fire at it, but the Dalek darted round them. He was lining up for a forth shot when blue light shot from the gunstick, going nowhere near him. Canaan watched the trajectory of the shot, and was horrified to see it strike one of the escaping pilots. The figure was illuminated for a moment as it jerked like a puppet on strings, before it went limp, the dead weight forcing the glider to turned and aim straight downwards and spiral into deep sky.

He was so caught up in the grim display, that Canaan Li didn't notice the Dalek change course and come straight towards him until it fired.

The laser struck his ship head on below the cockpit. Emergency lights warned that the two remaining rockets on board had been compromised. Canaan quickly disengaged the safety lock and jettisoned the rocket pod system before the whole thing exploded in his face.

A particularly wild roll moved him clear of the attacking Dalek, but three more formed up behind the ship almost instantly. Extermination rays licked past him, and more warning lights reported damage. Another warning, this time a proximity alert as a fourth Dalek joined the chase.

"_The saucer's broken through! The cannon's taking heavy damage!"_ someone declared over the radio waves. Then the waves were scrambled suddenly by static. Someone cried out the name of a fellow pilot in fear, while the readout on Canaan's dashboard confirmed that -Moving Target- had met with a grisly fate.

He didn't have the luxury to mourn his friend as the attack against him intensified. With so many guns aimed his way, it looked like Canaan was soon to share -Moving Target's- fate.

In the far off distance, a large object glided unstoppably through the clouds. With the moonstone cannon so badly damaged, the Garrison at the Isle of Saile could do nothing as the 'Exterminator' flagship drifted at high speed through Mid Ocean airspace.

Like all Dalek ships, the city sized mass was built out of bronze dalekanium. The massive central sphere was steaming in the chilly air, the incredible heat of the mass of electronics heating the surface of the metal till it was burning hot. The disc around the heart of the ship constantly span clockwise, while the six impeller engines built into the disc span in the opposite direction. The core gave the ship more than enough power to flatten Valua in an instant, and on the bridge the designated veteran Dalek oversaw the attack personally. Several Arcadian ships buzzed round the 'Exterminator' like flies, and a few smoking wounds in the flagship's hull bore testament to the brave attempts to damage the ship. Yet in continued onward, unhindered and uncaring, weapons charging in preparation of the inevitable carnage.

* * *

"The 'Exterminator' is closing the gap between itself and the city." Brigadier Holm said as he looked close to panicking. "The ambushes have failed. The Valuan defences won't be strong enough to stop it."

No one replied, as to be quite frank it appeared he was right. The city of Valua itself had been battered savagely in the first strike, and what little defences had been set up in the rocky plains beyond the city were completely destroyed. The battle for the land under the yellow moon was no longer about protecting from attack, but from preventing the Daleks from gaining a tactical foothold there. Now with the 'Exterminator' coming, not only did it seem they would lose the continent, but the energy weapons from the Dalek ship would no doubt poison Valua with enough radiation to make the land permanently uninhabitable.

"Vice-Captain," Robo, having recently returned to the operations room, whispered to the woman in white. "The fighting may soon reach the Bastille. We should head to the Undercity where it's safer."

"Captain Gonzales is still out there, and we still may be of help in this battle; we stay." Aki said firmly as she looked at the Judoon with her penetrating emerald eyes. He grunted in acceptance and stood back.

"Robo, where have you been?" the Doctor asked casually, as though the fact that a planet wide war was waging around him was only of minor interest to him.

Robo looked at the Doctor in mild surprise at the question, before he said "Captain Gonzales sent me to prepare the Bowship for use. I waited to see if he would return, but there's been no sign."

Aki looked dejectedly at the floor, while Hul grinned to himself and spat lightly on the handle of his rifle to polish it. The Doctor gave Aki a sympathetic look before addressing the ex-police officer again.

"You're good with electronics then?" he asked.

"I am; why?"

The Doctor frowned a little to himself in thought.

"Because I've got an idea of how to help swing this battle in our favour, but I'm going to need some help. Up for a challenge, Robo?"

The Judoon looked at the Doctor blankly, then curled his lip in a shrug and nodded.

"Good man... rhino, thing." the Doctor said uncertainly.

"Now Aki, I think it might be a good idea to do as Robo says and get deeper inside Soltis for safety's sake."

"Why?" Aki questioned as the Doctor headed to the door.

As he went round corner, he looked back and said "Because the idea I have will draw the Dalek's attention, and they'll know I'm here. And once they know I'm here they'll pull out all the stops to come and get me; and that's what I'm hoping for. For my idea to work, we've got to bring the Daleks here."


	6. Chapter 6

Arcadia was indeed a beautiful world, with its floating islands of dry land brimming with culture and the countless species of airborne wildlife rippling through clouds that drifted calmly across the perfect diamond-blue sky. Despite the uncertainty of whether the people of Arcadia were genetically classed as human, the world was perceived as an icon of natural beauty in the eyes of the galactic spanning empire of humanity. It signified the splendour and radiance that imaginative young adults dreamed about when first the idea of exploring brave new worlds came to light, bringing to life the long since dormant sense of wonder and the hope of a boundless scope of discovery as though resurrecting some heroic champion born in the juvenile age of planet Earth. Arcadia, with its rich history, wildlife and landscape was a legend unto itself. Nevertheless, the planet's glory now only acted as a burden as the guns of the Daleks pounded the lands, exploiting the world specifically because it meant so much to the humans; the Daleks targeted Arcadia with the deliberate intension of leaving scars in the race memory of humanity for all time to come.

Aboard the Dalek warship codenamed 'Exterminator point one', the Designated Veteran Dalek commanded its forces with hereditary ruthlessness as they moved towards Valua, pitting Dalek culture against Arcadian culture in a struggle between the hatful and the serene. Thanks to the first onslaught most fighters, bombers and long distance turrets positioned to attack had been obliterated or were too heavily occupied with their own battles to chase the vast capital ship. The only real threat apart from the odd ship who'd managed to get close enough to attack was the turrets mounted on small floating rocks that hung at random in the skies like the disowned offspring of the greater continents. Even with their most advanced scanning techniques, multitudes of these mini islands escaped the Dalek's scanners, and the flagship had taken several damaging blows to the hull from these lone artillery mountings. Despite this, the Daleks were able to avoid most of the little islands and their gun emplacements and now had a clear run towards the city of Valua.

"_**Report on your situation, Designated Veteran!"**_ the commanding Dalek transmitted from the moon sized ship fixed above the planet.

"**We will reach attack range in three hundred and twenty rels."** the assault Dalek answered.

"_**See to it that the city is flattened completely. Once it is gone the continent will act as a forward command position for the attack on the Soltis Bastille. You will deploy the 'Exterminator' on the surface of Valua in a defensive position."**_

"**Current battle estimates suggest that a direct attack on Soltis Bastille by the 'Exterminator' has a ninety three percent chance of success."**

"_**That is irrelevant! I have decided on the Dalek's next course of action. Hasty attacks against the enemy will result in unacceptable Dalek losses. You will follow the strategy as dictated by me!"**_

"**I obey!"** the Designated Veteran shifted slightly, either uneasy or angry at being shouted down by its ranking officer.

"_**Scans have been unsuccessful in identifying evidence of Time Lord activity."**_ said the Extra Taxomic Control Executive. _**"Confirm results of scans from your ship."**_

The Dalek aboard the 'Exterminator' looked at another holographically projected view-screen for a moment, before turning it's domed head back and replying **"Negative. No Time Lord activity detected."**

"_**The Doctor must be found. His capture or extermination is of the highest priority. Continue to monitor for evidence of the Doctor's whereabouts."**_

"**I obey!"**

With that, the screen showing the executive Dalek phased out.

"**All Daleks to battle stations!"** roared the veteran Dalek. **"Contact with target imminent. Prepare for battle. Scanning units will continue to monitor for signs of the Doctor!"**

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The Doctor himself was walking briskly down a badly lit corridor. The metal walls were unpainted and showing signs of rust and mould at the edges. Deep in the heart of Soltis Bastille it was clear that though Arcadia had a proud navy, they weren't prepared for planet wide invasion. Here he was in engine level of the most important military installation in the world, and like the rest of it, it was more like a museum. It seem as though in every corridor there was either a national flag covering the wall, a plague celebrating an obscure hero or painting paying homage to some part of Arcadian history, or even a display case containing a historical artefact.

"Can you believe this?" he asked Robo in an airy tone, gesturing to a glass case that sat over a huge steel disc etched with miscellaneous symbols. "A military facility filled with artefacts and history. Either they're very unprofessional, understandable with a man like Holm in charge, or very sure of themselves and think that no one could ever get this far into the Bastille."

"This is not a violent world. The people are not prepared for an enemy capable of besieging such a base as the Bastille." Robo said.

The Doctor looked at the armour clad rhino man with a grim look. The ex-cop was absolutely right; Arcadia was a peaceful planet who maintained an army mostly out of tradition rather than any actual need to defend themselves. The people were naturally good fliers and lived hard working lives but were unsuited to warfare. He looked again at the display case, reading the sensory caption that identified the device as a Silvite Huon teleporter.

"Doesn't mean they can't win." said the Doctor.

With a burst of energy from the sonic screwdriver, the door to the engine room split down the middle and sprang open. The room was surprisingly quite by the standards of most such places throughout the universe. Due to the abundant supply of electricity creating yellow moonstones on Arcadia, there was no need for conventional generators. The only real noise came from the chains and pulleys strung throughout the chamber, keeping in with Arcadia's nautical heritage when industrial hydraulics would have been far more efficient. The clanks and whirrs of activity were enough to mask the grumbling of the greasy moonstone engines that towered to the roof, gobbling up moonstones supplied by conveyer belts and reliving themselves of the waste in the form of noxious exhaust fumes that were belched down tubes into the ballooning lungs of air sacks hanging from the ceiling, where purificants could be administered to the raw gas before it was breathed harmlessly back into the atmosphere. Alongside these sacks stalactite antenna aimed downward, dripping condensed coolant, towards their sibling power conductors- Perspex boxes bristling with sinews of cable that unleashed chains of electricity into the antennas to be distributed wirelessly throughout the Bastille.

"Just look at this mess." the Doctor sighed with disappointment. "I would have thought the Arcadians would keep everything ship shape and Bristol fashion."

"What are you planning Doctor?"

"Well, I was thinking that Soltis is an artificial island, correct? It doesn't hover with velorium minerals- it uses repulser technology to keep it afloat. I'm hoping to try and just reconfigure it slightly."

"Are you planning to turn it into a giant repulser gun?"

"Hopefully not. I don't want to trigger a gravity balance collapse at a time like. First of all I need to see if I can slice into it at all. Come on Robo- help me get this bonnet open; there's a good chap."

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The 'Aggressor' class Dalek saucer had been joined by two more of its kind and a 'Dominator' class that was carrying a full stock of two thousand Daleks. Together they prowled over the Isle of Saile like a storm. Sky blue lasers rained down upon the settlement in a monsoon of demolition. Ships from all nearby squadrons had committed themselves to the defence of the township. Commander Canaan Li, despairing of catching up with the 'Exterminator' his squadron had been assigned to attack, had also sent ships to help- the two remaining members of the Claudia 3rd bombers and -Chaos Theory- and -Chop em up- from his own squadron. He and -Shoot 1 for me- had stayed behind to cover their retreat back to the island, their ships being the most badly damaged and least likely to last long enough to make a difference. Despite the damage they'd taken they still put up a good fight, so far lasting for ten minutes against nearly fifty Daleks, shooting down any who tried to join the battle at Saile. Their superior speed wasn't going to last though, and the Daleks were getting more accurate. Once again, Canaan found himself being chased and outflanked by no less than seven of the bronze combat machines while Flight Officer Armstrong was nowhere near enough to come and help.

Canaan ignored the scanners that were being choked by target reports, relying on his own senses and experience to guide him as he ran the gauntlet- dip, roll, air break, loosen up, bank left, afterburner, loop, barrel roll, climb- the maneuvers were fast and frantic, and the Commander had no choice but to let go of rational thought which wasn't fast enough to react and hope that his instinct alone would last till he got to safety, though where safety could be found in the skies that were so thick with Daleks was anyone's guess.

A trio of Daleks swerved wildly into the path of the pale ship and opened fire. Canaan sent his fighter into a fierce dive, so steep he was almost pointing straight down. He successfully ducked the incoming fire, but the attackers came swarming after him.

Canaan felt himself get dizzy as the automated pressure straps in his flight suit worked overtime to try and keep his flow of blood and oxygen working properly. The g-forces pulling against Canaan threatened to bring his body to a complete standstill, and the black uniform compensated so savagely he was sure to be bruised all over by the end of the day. The desert born pilot breathed deeply and forced himself to focus as he began to get dangerously close to the boundary of deep sky.

An alert on the console sounded; energy spikes, intense wavelengths. That meant Dalek extermination rays. He dodged and weaved around the gunfire as best he could, and nearly lost one of his wings for it. The Daleks had stopped descending, wary of the powerful storms below. They instead tried to match pace with the small craft, sniping at it with less numerous, more powerful blasts.

As Canaan came as close as he dared to the blackness of the lower atmosphere, more warning lights signalled the increase in pressure; he levelled out and flew in a zig zag pattern to avoid the continued Dalek attack. Lasers dropped into the thick clouds, their heat creating spitting geysers of mist and water vapour.

Droplets splashed over the windshield, making it even more difficult to maintain a safe flight pattern. Turbulence and unexpected drafts of rising air made flying even more dangerous. Commander Li flight sweat forming on his forehead as he brave the fury of the hurricanes that were only metres below him. All the dead of Arcadia were sent to their final resting place down there- to think he was now trying to save his life in the same place.

There was a burst of mist bigger than any of the eruptions caused by extermination rays, right in front of the -Up With The Sun-. Canaan was taken by surprise but still managed to lurch away from the distortion as something burst from the inky surface of deep sky. A gleaming silver body soured past too quickly for the pilot to acknowledge with his eyes. As the object vanished above, scanners detected the discharge of solid weapon rounds, swiftly followed by reports from the tactical computer of destroyed enemy targets.

The Commander doubted the accuracy of the reports for a moment, but the sudden drastic reduction of incoming laser fire proved that this new vessel was an ally against the Daleks. But what sort of ship could have come out of the storms of deep sky and still be battle worthy? A secret weapon perhaps, or maybe something imported from Earth Command?

"This is Commander Canaan Li of the Saile 12th squadron to unidentified flight craft." the Commander pulled up as fast as possible while he hailed the new arrival. "Please identify and provide call sign."

"_This is -Rogue Gallery- calling in. Captain Gonzales reporting for duty."_

Gonzales? Rogue Gallery? He knew those names. Names tangled up in both in both urban legend and cynical gossip. That was that bounty hunter who worked for the Arcadian government. A genuine modern day air pirate if the stories were true- a freelance law enforcer with both military and political connections- the stuff of legend bought to life. And here he was, straight out of the stories and on the front lines of battle, just like that. It was difficult to know whether to be threatened or in awe of this new arrival.

The Commander reached average flight altitude and levelled out. The -Rogue Gallery-, having chased off the immediate Dalek threat, came alongside the -Up With The Sun-. The ship the soldier for hire was using was silver coloured, shaped like a spire and nearly the size of a small shuttle. The craft was covered in a shiny see-through substance that looked bumpy and uneven, but apart from that there wasn't a blemish on it after having been immersed in the crushing black of deep sky.

"_My ship was damaged and I've been out of the battle for some time."_ Gonzales explained. _"What's happening at the moment?"_

"Not entirely sure." Canaan said truthfully. "Seems as though the Polar Regions, Valua and the Mid Ocean islands have been attacked. No idea how they're holding out, but a capital class Dalek ship was recently seen heading to Valua. Several squadrons were supposed to ambush it but they had a huge escort. Most of the ships in our area were recalled to protect the Isle of Saile. There's barely anyone who can go after it."

"_That's not good enough. We can't allow the Daleks to take Valua; it's a vital strategic position."_

"But it just isn't possible, sir. There are no frigates or moonstone cannons available to attack it."

"_Then the attack must be carried out by light aircraft. Transmit details of the squadrons stationed in the local area."_

"Sir," although the man was only an honorary Captain, Gonzales' rank was still high enough to give him authority over a squadron Commander, which meant Canaan had to acknowledge his superiority no matter how outrageous his ideas might be. "With respect, that is impossible. With our numbers reduced so drastically, attacking a capital class battleship would be suicide. Most of the ships under my command have been sent to protect Saile and they're being hindered by light attack saucers. What hope would they have against something as big as a capital class ship?"

"_I fought Daleks before, Commander. Follow my tactics and we'll succeed. First we'll gather your ships together. I'll take care of the saucers."_

'_He'll take care of the saucers?' _Canaan thought to himself in exasperation. By the sound of it, it would be better for him to let this bounty hunter try to take on a Dalek saucer and get him removed from the picture as soon as possible, but that wouldn't be very becoming of an Arcadian officer. So, however reluctantly, Canaan tried to reason with the man.

"Sir, how do you intend to destroy at least two Dalek saucers with only ballistic weapons fire?"

"_I've got more than just a bolt launcher on this ship. I have a warp star cannon charged and ready. An explosion like that is more than enough to crack a dalekanium shell."_

Canaan blanched.

"You have a what! ?"

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The -Orion- was heading to Valua. The reassignment was the result of heavy damage to the prow of the dreadnought that left its moonstone cannon crippled and at risk of overloading if it fired. The ship as a whole had been badly weakened by the recent bombardment it had survived. With the fuel reduced after so many evasive manuveers and the armour plates melted or sagging loosely around the ribs of the vessel, their orders were to stay on the fringes of the battle over the capital city and focus of Daleks units rather than saucers. The gunboat urgently needed repairs, but under the circumstances there were no resources available. Every dock within reasonable distance was clogged with all kinds of ships that have suffered greater damage than theirs and needed maintenance if they were to remain airborne. Thus, high command had deemed to get maximum use out of the -Orion- by sending it back into combat.

"Can you believe this! ?" the platoon sniper slammed a purple moonstone into a hatch with unnecessary force. "First we get put through that insane battle, then that monster ship nearby blows us out of the sky, then we get told we still have to keep fighting, and now we're replaced and sent to do repair work!"

The usually introverted and quite trooper received a few murmurs of agreement. Having lost another soldier- another friend- during the last skirmish, the ship Captain had called in reserves to take over defending the mid deck and had sent the crippled platoon to help with the emergency repairs at the moonstone cannon. Sergeant Dayo secretly agreed with her soldiers, but if she was going to maintain discipline she couldn't let them know. This wasn't a normal case of disgruntled troops issued with an undesirable task; they were all stressed and on edge. As soldiers of Arcadia they were expected to defend the world against the Dalek invasion. Against an enemy they had little experience against. That lack of experience had cost the vast majority of the platoon their lives. With no time to mourn their friends they'd been forced straight into another battle, and another, and then another and so on till Dayo lost count of how many fights they'd been through. They'd only managed to survive without any more casualties because they'd chosen to hide as much as possible and use artillery and explosives to hold the Daleks back rather than take the fight to the invaders directly. They were clearly outmatched, and the last attack that nearly destroyed the frigate hadn't done anything to change that opinion. It hadn't been confirmed what it was that had attacked from within the murky fog, but they were all thinking the same thing- the 'Exterminator' flagship. What else could cause so much damage with glancing blows aimed blindly through a mist?

Taking a deep breath, Dayo walked over to the unhappy soldier. Not prepared to try using parade ground bark on those who only recently were friends of equal rank, she decided for a friendly approach, starting with laying a hand on their shoulder.

"I know it looks bad Maria," Dayo politely and graciously ignored the shoulder jerk that dislodged her hand "but the whole of Arcadia is at risk, and it's up to us to do something about it. This work sucks, but it best we can do at the moment, so let's just give it are all and try to do as much good as possible."

All she got for her trouble was a surly look from Maria. She was always a loner and generally unpleasant to most people, but Dayo could sense the rest of the platoon had similar feelings. They didn't think she was up to leading them. They blamed her for the disastrous battle where they'd taken the Daleks head on and had nearly all been killed. The hostility in the atmosphere was nearly as potent as the stench of ionised air, trademark of Dalek extermination rays

'_They're just upset about what's happened.'_ Dayo reminded herself. _'They just want someone to blame. Just get through this and it'll all be over.'_

The hastily appointed Sergeant turned back to place her troops, wondering what she could possibly say to try and lift their spirits. As her gaze fell on them she discovered they'd stop working and were looking out beyond the front of the frigate. As Dayo's mind turned away from her own thoughts and back to the present situation she realised what had drawn their attention.

From the sound of explosions and slipstreams they must have reached Valua, but over the sound of battle there was another noise. It was a simple roaring sound. A roar that seemed to come from everywhere at once, muffling all other noises. A single, steady, overwhelming note that had the female soldier feeling queasy. She turned to look at what the others were looking at, nearly falling as the volume of the noise and the vibrations created by it made her loose balance.

What she saw made her gasp out loud, though she couldn't hear it.

The -Orion- was hovering in the air at least four miles away from the Valuan capital. They had a fine view of the city, which would have been a tourist's treat on any other day. But today the city was burning, entire skyscrapers ablaze or crumbling. Some buildings had huge chunks smashed out of them, the wound in the structures clotted with rubble and fire. The air in the streets and above was shimmering in a heat haze from the lasers, probably choking to death anyone in the city who hadn't been killed in the initial attack. The battling vessels were concentrated above the outskirts of the city, the Dalek's pepper pot shells hopelessly outnumbering the 'Engager' and 'Assault' craft flown by the Arcadians. But the space directly above Valua was far from unoccupied. Above the city was a ship; a Dalek ship- the bronze Dalekanium was unmistakable.

It was an 'Exterminator'.

Dayo's mind clogged up as she tried and failed to take in the sheer magnitude of the Dalek flagship. It was beyond colossal. The disc swamped the atmosphere of Valua. The mass of the vessel dispersed the heavy storm clouds of the yellow moon continent with ease, but did the same job as those clouds by smothering the sunlight with its bulk. The roaring sound no doubt emanated from the ship, not from the incredible power of the engines but simply from the force of such a large object moving through the air. Particle rays just as awesome in size and power as the ship itself erupted from the lower hull and left craters in the city. Buildings were splintered and sent tumbling aside while white plasma fires rolled in waves through the streets. The impact of the Dalek ordnance sent ripples of pure force power greater than any repulser device the Arcadians had ever known across the cityscape, tearing apart vehicles and knocking down bridges. Additional explosions constantly blossomed from random locations as electric devices reacted to the super energized air particles and overloaded far beyond their capacity. It was as though hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes and electrical storms and been rolled into each other to create one massive, destructive entity, as though the Dalek 'Exterminator' was an avatar of nature itself, though clearly the flagship was a statement unto itself proclaiming the Daleks as beyond anything natural.

Overcome by the sight, Dayo staggered back a few steps, only to be unexpectedly caught by a pair of hands. Surprised by something as simple as physical contact while witnessing destruction at such an impossible degree, she snapped her head round in surprise and found that it was Maria the grumpy sniper who had caught her. But it only took one look at her face for the Sergeant to realise that it was out of fear, not friendly concern, that had the unsociable soldier clinging to her in a desperate search for comfort. Throughout the whole platoon, there were frightened looks plastered to people's faces, hands making signs of religious devotion. All of them were practically cowering at the sight of the enemy ship. The only structure any Arcadian had seen that came close to matching up to the size of the 'Exterminator' was the Soltis Bastille, and that was an immoveable fortification with less than half the number of weapons attached to this behemoth. The Dalek flagship just defied reason and turned the group of well trained and experienced troops into a rabble of gibbering fools.

Something began to boil and rise up from the pit of Dayo's stomach. To see her friends and allies reduced to such a state felt like a personal insult to her. One moment they turned on her because she was in a position of authority and responsibility against her will, the next they wilted into nothing, not caring what their officer thought of the display of cowardice. And all throughout the Daleks mercilessly ravaged Arcadia, laughing at those crushed beneath their jet black fenders.

Enough was enough.

Sergeant Dayo Walkers jerked her arm free of Maria's grip in the same manor the sniper had done just a moment ago and growled "Pull yourself together; all of you! You're soldiers aren't you?"

Maria looked at her in surprise, but that was the only reaction from her troops. Either they were too distracted by the devastation reeked by the 'Exterminator' or they hadn't even heard her over the deafening sound generated from the Dalek ship.

Dayo swore she felt something inside her snap as she bellowed at her platoon.

"I SAID PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER YOU LAND LOVING, NAVY DROPOUT EXCUSES FOR SOLDIERS!"

The Sergeant's voice carried over the surrounding noise despite being so muffled, and the insult drew everyone's attention immediately. Implying a lack of skill or experience in flying in an Arcadian was an offence with historical overtones and not used lightly. As intended, everyone was shocked out of their trance.

"YOU ARE SOLDIERS OF THE ARCADIAN MILITIA! YOU HAVE ALL TAKEN A SWORN OATH TO SERVE AND PROTECT ARCADIA FROM THREAT AND INJUSTICE, NOT TO PANIC AT THE FIRST SIGN OF THE ENEMY!"

It mattered not that Dayo's shouting was so quietened by the forces of nature that moved in compliance with the mighty Dalek ship. The remaining soldiers were clearly astounded at how loudly and fiercely her voice carried over the cacophony of devastation. Dayo, for her part, didn't feel relieved to vent her anger or pleased to strike a blow at the comrades who turned on her. She only felt her anger building, her rage becoming a wall against her confused and frightened thoughts- that purged her doubt and left nothing but the Sergeant who'd taken command of the remnants of her platoon.

"OUR SHIP HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE DEFENCE OF VALUA! THAT DALEK SHIP IS THEREFORE A PRIMARY TARGET! THE ONLY WEAPON WITH THE STRENGTH TO DAMAGE IT IS THE MOONSTONE CANNON! GET BACK TO WORK ON THOSE REPAIRS, AND BE READY FOR THE ORDERS TO ATTACK THAT FLAGSHIP! PLATOON, _MOVE_!"

There was a moment of silent stillness from the troops, uncertain whether to obey orders or restrain an unstable NCO. The decision was made when Dayo took a furious step towards Maria and gave her a look that was cold enough chill the Nasrian desert.

Lips moved with words of acknowledgement, but what they said was uttered softly and lost on the wind. The soldiers returned to their duties while Dayo use her whisper sensitive radio to contact the bridge.

"Captain Shogun, we need to attack that Dalek ship now. Request permission to override the moonstone cannon inhibiters and fire immediately, sir."

"_Request denied."_ if the Captain of the ship was at all fazed by the 'Exterminator', his voice certainly wasn't letting on. _"Tactical assessment is still underway. Stand by for orders."_

"Sir," Dayo ground her teeth as she held her anger in check. There was nothing to be gained by blowing up at a superior officer. "If we don't attack now that ship will keep on attacking the city until there's nothing left. We have to draw it into battle now."

"_The answer is no Sergeant. Valua is lost. The concern is now for the continent at large. I will not give the order to charge the moonstone cannon until a proper strategy has been devised. Proceed with your current orders and stand by."_

The communications link was cut presumptuously by Dayo

'_Valua is lost? I should be flattered that the old fool was so open to a grunt.'_

At no point did it occur to Dayo that she should have more respect for Captain Shogun's opinion. Neither did she realise that her friends in her platoon may have simply suffered a moment of weakness in light of the current war and had allowed themselves to show their anger to first available source, that being the one giving out orders. She didn't consider that they were still the same people they had been before the battle. Nor did she think that her desire to attack the Daleks right away was a dangerous impulse born from frustration that should be ignored. All she could think of was her boiling rage that intensified as she looked back at the gutted city, the only buildings left standing being the ones on the outskirts, holding the fire and debris within like a cauldron of horrors. Dayo looked up at the 'Exterminator', the wicked witch stirring that cauldron and invoking doom and despair on its enemies. Even the lasers that flicked out from the body of the ship looked like magical blasts that ignited a plume of fire on contact with the surface of the earth. In her mind's eye, the Daleks took on the status of a mystical enemy to Dayo in the same way that humans of the ancient world would see a likeness of the devil in those accused of acts of evil atrocities. They were evil down to the core. Evil in nature. They _had_ to be destroyed.

Dayo wouldn't let herself think otherwise. Maybe that was because there was one other thing she hadn't considered; hadn't dared thought of even once. The possibility that it would take nothing less than a miracle to save Arcadia from the Daleks.

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"You're sure it's him?" the Doctor spoke into Robo's comm. link.

"_The ship has the same readings as a Time Lord ship. I compared them to your TARDIS radar frequency." _Aki's voice held a hint of hope, but not excitement. _"I've tried hailing him but there's no reply."_

The Doctor frowned. It seemed likely that it was Gonzales who'd been spotted at the Isle of Saile, but with the current battle it wasn't possible to get an accurate report of what was going on there. But the last they'd seen of that Bowship was being surrounded by an overwhelming number of Daleks then disappearing off the scanners. It seemed strange that he should suddenly return and still be ready to jump straight back into battle. There was a small possibility that it was another Time Lord ship sent to observe or maybe even help with the war, but that was far less likely.

"Vice-Captain," Robo grunted down the transmitter "no matter if it is the Captain or not, you should head down into the Undercity where you'll be safer."

"_If Gonzales isn't responding to me there might be a problem. I'm not leaving till I know what's happened to him."_

"But the rest of the crew-"

"_Know their duty. Our shuttle will be ready to fly out and help if Gonzales needs it. Until then they're staying in the dock."_

"It's not fair to take that sort of risk with your men's lives." the Doctor butted in again. "Taking such a risk with your own is just stupid."

There was a moment of static that showed Aki's pause. Then she came back, undeniably insulted.

"_Our crew has worked together for years, Doctor. We don't abandon each other; _ever_."_ for the first time, the Doctor heard a note of anger in Aki's voice, and decided it didn't suit her. _"We're staying until the Captain returns."_

"It's your choice," the Doctor shrugged as though she could see him "but I tell you now it'll end in tears. Believe me, I know. Never mind; do you have that data?"

Another static silence, along with a stony glare from Robo. The Doctor didn't want to sound so ruthless, but he couldn't afford to spend more time arguing to Aki about getting her and her bounty hunter crew to safety. He had to make this plan of his work or the skies of Arcadia would be overrun.

"_Transmitting the locations of reef mounted gun emplacements now."_ the silvite replied. _"And can you tell me what exactly you want that for?"_

"Just a plan of mine." the Doctor said as he typed the coordinates into a console with access to the Bastille's flight repulser systems. "A plan to out manuveer and trap the Daleks. Just one thing we're missing."

"And that is...?" Robo asked.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the ceiling.

"Every trap needs bait. The TARDIS should do quite nicely." he said.

Then he pressed the button.

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"**Alert! Alert! Time distortion detected. Source identified as TARDIS activation backwash."**

"**The Doctor is located! Alert! The Doctor is located!"**

On the bridge of 'Exterminator point one' the Daleks were in a frenzy. They finally had proof that the Doctor was on Arcadia and had confirmed his whereabouts. Clever, the Designated Veteran Dalek thought to itself. The Doctor, though very dangerous, was not prone to violence. He no doubt thought the Daleks would never find him if he hid in a military HQ. But the Time Lord's arrogance had once again been his downfall. He'd finally tried to use the TARDIS and the Daleks had located him.

"**Home in on the frequency. Confirm precise location of the TARDIS."** it ordered.

"**TARDIS frequency originates from the upper levels of the structure known as 'Soltis Bastille'."** a pilot reported.

"**Confirm the number of hostile craft between the 'Exterminator' and the Bastille."**

"**Light attack craft only. Eighty three have been identified as being within attack range. Strategic estimates suggest the Arcadian base will have approximately six dreadnaught class battleships and between fifty and one hundred-and-fifty light attack ships currently docked."**

Several Daleks looked in the direction of the Dalek council member, wondering why it wanted information like that. Surely it wasn't thinking of going after the Doctor?

The Dalek pulsated inside its shell with glee. The Doctor was just within its grasp! All it needed to do was moved against the Soltis Bastille and crush their defences with impunity. The Extra Taxomic Control Executive's talk was ridiculous. The people this world were non-Dalek. That meant weak and feeble. The flagship had crushed everything it had come across so far, and there was little chance that would change anytime soon. Against the power of the Daleks, Arcadia's fate was certain.

"**Reset the battle computers. Cease fire and rearm main weaponry. New primary target- Soltis Bastille."**

The air on the bridge immediately became electrified as the Dalek crew took in the new orders. Orders in direct defiance of the fleet commander.

"**This command registers as invalid."** a command Dalek cautiously approached the platform where the Designated Veteran Dalek oversaw all ship activity. **"The prime Dalek stratagem is to take control of urban population centres, then progress to military positions after assessing directly acquired reconnaissance reports."**

"**The current circumstances override the stratagem. The capture or extermination of the Doctor is vital. We will move to attack immediately."**

"**We do not have the necessary information to launch an attack of the main military base of Arcadia. Request re-evaluation of orders."**

"**The Daleks are more powerful than the people of Arcadia. Do you question this judgement?"**

The Dalek paused, motors whirling slightly. It was a loaded question designed to invite disaster; nothing less should have been expected of a member of the Dalek council. Nevertheless, the command Dalek wasn't prepared to back down just yet.

"**This countermands the orders of the Extra Taxomic Control Executive. We must defer to the authority of-"**

The assault Dalek's ray gun angled towards the standard Dalek. Before anyone could react, a sky blue extermination ray fired down into the mechanical body of the Dalek. The mutant screamed inside its shell as the energy particles penetrated the bronze covering and literally cooked it alive in an instant. The arms on the front of the Dalek melted in the heat and the plunger liquefied, while the surface of the travel machine smouldered and blackened. The onboard power supply shorted out, and the deep blue Dalek eye turned black.

An intense silence took over the bridge.

"**Recycle the casing."** ordered the veteran. **"Proceed to Soltis Bastille."**

The orders were obeyed without question. Pilots worked the ship's controls while a Dalek drone used its remote interface to reactivate the dead Dalek machine. The underside sparked and spluttered as it trundled out the chamber.

The flagship was quickly underway. With the vast impeller engines they would reach the Bastille in a matter of minutes, while the pitiful non Dalek ships would be left trailing behind even at top speed. Besides, there was only a token force of dreadnaught ships at the city; they were the only ships that posed any real threat even though they had no chance against an 'Exterminator'. More than likely they'd stay at Valua to fight the saucers that would now be returning from the upper atmosphere to take the flagship's place. The huge vessel's best weapons would be facing the instillation when they arrived, making short work of the turrets and gun emplacements. Nothing could stop them now.

The Designated Veteran Dalek indulged in the pleasure it felt as it sensed the crew's fear of it. Dalek killing Dalek was no small thing. They knew now who the master of the ship was. The Designated Veteran Dalek always suffered from a sense of wounded pride as a result of its position. It was a low ranking Dalek, yet it had to report in person to the Dalek council, and the council made it very clear that the command Dalek was still only a command Dalek. It was in Dalek nature to accept the authority of superiors, but even a Dalek had enough emotion to get testy from being walked all over by high ranking units all the time. The Designated Veteran Dalek had a lot of pent up anger and resentment with no one to vent it on, and the chance to show its Dalek crew who held the power over them when the chief of the spy network wasn't around was very pleasing.

"**Incoming transmission."** a Dalek at the transmission console said. **"Source- fleet command ship."**

So, the Executive was calling to enforce its will? Not if it meant letting the Doctor slip from their grasp again, the veteran decided.

"**Overlay local analysis reports over the transmission. Block incoming communication completely. There can be no distraction from our current task."**

Even though their bodies were mechanical, all the Daleks on the bridge seemed to tense up. What the Designated Veteran had ordered meant a direct defiance of authority- treason!

"**The transmission carries the identity code of the Extra Taxomic Control Executive Dalek."** attempted the transmissions operator.

"**There can be **_**no**_** distraction! Block incoming transmission."**

"**I obey."** the Dalek said, before cutting the signal.

The Designated Veteran Dalek ignored the fear and uncertainty it sensed from the bridge crew. It wasn't afraid of the fleet commander. They were minutes away from bringing the Doctor in chains to Skaro itself. No member of the council would challenge the Dalek after that. The command Dalek's success would be recognised by the Emperor itself, and the Designated Veteran would be glorified beyond measure- maybe even promoted to a higher rank, replacing one of those Daleks on the council who'd spent too long away from the front lines of war.

The Dalek would have chuckled to itself if Daleks laughed. Such thoughts were so out of character for a member of the superior race- defiant and disrespectful. But what the council didn't know wouldn't hurt them. And granting power to the Dalek who was about to capture the Doctor as opposed to the one who wanted to wait and make plans could only be good. The combination of up-to-date combat experience and increased authority promised to make it one of the greatest Dalek leaders in existence. The Designated Veteran Dalek would triumph and its unorthodox opinions would prove themselves worthy of being of benefit to the Dalek cause.

"**Encroaching on Soltis Bastille. Combat range will be achieved in twenty rels."** someone called out.

"**Lock and prime all weaponry and defensive systems. Reduce battle report update times."** replied the veteran.

"**Warning! Warning!"** droned a deep voiced engineering Dalek. **"Coolant and anti-matter relief systems have reached capacity. Recommend that total core output is reduced to sixty percent efficiency."**

Of course, the power core of the ship had been churning out energy at maximum capacity for about an hour now. No expense had been spared for the destruction of Valua. The engines needed a chance to rest.

"**Maintain battle level power output. Combat parameters will be to concentrate fire on enemy armaments to reduce energy shield strain. Dalek infiltration units to disembarking hatches."**

The ship commander didn't bother looking for the crew's reaction this time. The core didn't need to power down, nor could they afford to power it down. Without the optimum power output, the attack on the HQ would be nothing but a futile gesture. The veteran Dalek looked at the view-screen that displayed the image of the Bastille. It looked similar to an 'Exterminator' except it wasn't as wide around the middle and was slightly thicker, plus of course it was battleship grey and didn't have any engine orbs. The shape was more similar to what humans called a burger- a form of mass produced, inefficient sustenance that was consumed mainly to provide a crude form of pleasure rather than actually nutrition. Wedged between the top and bottom of the naval base was a massive strip of hardened metal that encircled the circumference of the fortress, docking bay entrances jutting from it along with plenty of sensory equipment. On the peak of the citadel was a gleaming tower that rose skyward for nearly a hundred metres. Scans suggested it was built for appearances alone.

The armour was fairly thick, but the only energy defence it had was a static shield that was only effective against missiles and shells. The weapons were turning to confront the Dalek ship- a moonstone cannon, laser emitters and shell cannons. Pathetic! The moonstone cannon would be destroyed before it could cause any damage, and the laser guns and cannons were practically useless against dalekanium. The technology of Arcadia was as the Designated Veteran had thought- weak and unadvanced. They lagged behind the rest of the universe, and were little more than savages next to the Daleks. Even the laser emitters weren't of Arcadian design; they were Earth Empire imports. The only notable aspect of Arcadia's local brand of technology was its ability to affect base elements like wind and water. That trait had proved problematic to their ships defences which hadn't been able to automatically adapt to gunfire infused with such things. Dalek scientists would have to investigate that when the fleet returned, but destroying the guns before they had a chance to fire would do for now.

"**Combat range with target obtained."** a superior pilot Dalek called out.

"**All weapons, open fire!"**

The vessel shuddered as the particle cannons unleashed their terrible power. Huge plumes of blue lasers raced towards Soltis Bastille, exploding as soon as they hit their target. Antimatter tore out pieces of the floating fortress with ease. The white hot energy release melted deep through the i-steel plates and exposed the innards of the structure to the elements. After barely a minute of a concentrated fire, most of the weapons systems were left in ruins. Sporadic return fire peppered the hull of the 'Exterminator'. The lasers were diluted by the shields around the saucer, and the shells either detonated immediately upon launch or veered wildly off course as a result of the amount of heat conducted into the surface metal of the Bastille from the Dalek's attack. The moonstone cannon, which had borne the brunt of the assault, was a mangled, twisted stump of a gun, incapable of doing anything.

"**Target has sustained intense surface damage."** a Dalek moved towards the commander. **"An estimated eighty eight percent of enemy defences have been destroyed."**

"**Decrease firing ratio. Despatch Dalek units for infiltration manuveers. The Doctor, the TARDIS, and superior military personnel are primary targets. Seek. Locate. **_**Exterminate**_**!"**

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Against the Doctor's instructions, Robo continued to monitor the militia communication network, listening to the panic as the 'Exterminator' took out the surface defences of Soltis Bastille and individual Daleks began to flood the upper levels.

"Doctor..." the Judoon said.

"I know. Just wait." the Doctor replied stressfully.

The Doctor had completed whatever he was doing and was just standing there.

"They're invading Doctor. We have to do something _now_!"

"It still needs a minute- just wait."

"There's no time left! The Daleks are invading!"

"This plan _will_ work! Any moment now!"

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The prime docking bay was in chaos. Daleks were spilling in from every point- the vast deployment doors, the maintenance hatches, the fire exits- the entire front half of the hanger was taken without a fight. The Daleks made use of their position, moving forward in waves or flying up to the rafters to take out snipers and send explosions raining down on enemy positions. A few ships tried to take off and escape but all were brought down and destroyed. Assault Daleks headed to the few dreadnoughts that were docked in the huge hanger, using their laser cutting claws to slice a way in through the hatches. Arcadians tried to form ranks to fight back, their efforts bolstered by neo-EMP projectors and the help of an air pirate- a huge, masked karturan known as 'Mad Racest' who carved open Daleks with his anti-matter claws in seconds. The Daleks were not put off by the defence. The simply used explosively strong extermination rays to force back the enemy. As the hanger staff and soldiers were pushed further back into the dock, Gonzales' and Aki's air pirate shuttle which was standing idle in the bay opened fire with its heavy ground support cannons, blowing away multitudes of bronze shells.

"**Priority threat identified!"** a command Dalek shrieked. **"Dalek attack formation twenty-one!"**

Flying Daleks immediately surrounded the ship, firing at it on strafing runs too fast to be shot down. It took less than a minute before the twisted remains of the shuttle were left scattered across the deck.

Aboard the 'Exterminator', the Designated Veteran Dalek watched with unrestrained glee as its Daleks flooded the Bastille while the mighty flagship went on ripping pieces out of the exterior. Still, messages from the orbiting command ship tried to penetrate the communication block they'd thrown up, but there was no danger of that happening any time soon.

"_**Request contact with ship commander."**_ a senior Dalek in the Bastille transmitted onto the bridge.

"**Report!"** ordered the Veteran Dalek.

"_**Encountering minimal resistance. Estimated location of TARDIS confirmed. Proceeding to target."**_

"**Excellent. Report as soon as the TARDIS is captured."**

So close. Without the TARDIS, the Doctor was as good as powerless. They would take the TARDIS into the 'Exterminator' where the scientific researchers would unlock its secrets. They would find the hidden life force within and punish the machine as though it were no better than another inferior alien. They'd make it bleed and cry out in pain, and the Doctor would hear the agony of the TARDIS and find himself unable to doing anything as he shared its fate. Victory would be absolute.

"**Scanner alert. Unidentified airborne object approaching from the west. Estimated course is towards the right hull of 'Exterminator point one'."** a pilot said to the Designated Veteran.

"**Most probable identity is an Arcadian gunboat. Confirm?"**

"**Negative. Chemical analysis reports that object is over fifty percent unprocessed local minerals"**

Which basically meant a rock. How could that be? All of the planets ships were made from i-steel and plastic, and if the object was a meteor or a falling moonstone it would be coming from above. So what was it?

"**Proximity alert from the right hull."** said a pilot. **"Immediate vicinity distance will be achieved in fifteen rels."**

"**Display."** ordered the Designated Veteran Dalek. A view-screen instantly popped up in front of it, showing the view from the right side of the ship. There was no sign of any object, but then again, one of the tiny stone islands that carried automated turrets was blocking the view.

The commanding Dalek froze at it suddenly realised- there had been no small island anywhere near the Bastille or the ship. The island was the unknown object, and it was moving toward the 'Exterminator' at high speed.

"**Alert!"** someone cried out.** "Imminent impact from unknown object! All units stabilise!"**

As the rock approached, the sub-sonic shell cannon set up on the island swivelled to face the Dalek ship. The artificial intelligence of the gun didn't care that it was facing certain oblivion. Its only orders were to fire on vessels identified as being of Dalek origin. So that's what it did.

A pair of cannon shells loaded with red moonstones fired from the double barrelled artillery gun. One exploded when it touched the ship's energy shield. The other passed through the shield as its speed overrode the repelling force. The shell hit the 'Exterminator' with a colossal impact, leaving a dent. The bloody-red explosion was rather ineffectual against the self repairing Dalekanium, but the red moonstone injected pure super high temperature energy into the metal. The atoms, already heavily charged in order fix the damage, overloaded and frizzled up, preventing the wound in the ship from healing. The cannon loaded another pair of shells and was going to fire at the same point, but the Daleks took exception to the idea and sent a barrage of missiles spiralling onto the island surface. The mass of explosions and high velocity shrapnel destroyed the gun, but wasn't enough to completely destroy the island which ploughed straight through the energy shield and crashed into the side of the Dalek flagship.

The sight was akin to a stone being cast into a pool of water. The rock vanished from sight as it splintered into fragments. The body of the Dalek ship depressed where it had been struck, sending ripples along the surface of the armour. Small gouts of flame licked out from the hole in the dalekanium as devices and power couplings exploded. Debris dripped from the gap in the hull, slain Daleks among them, falling down to the storms below.

"**Damage report!"** demanded the leading assault Dalek.

"**Hull breach on four levels. Three destroyed particle cannons. One destroyed missile battery. Estimated sixty six Dalek units destroyed. Shield projectors fluctuating- twenty two percent chance of overload hazard. Automated repair systems insufficient for extent of damage."**

"**More** **unidentified airborne objects on approach. Chemical analysis suggests objects are the same as the previous object."**

"**Reset targeting computers! Destroyed all objects on collision course with 'Exterminator point one'!"**

Every gun on the Dalek ship turned to fire on the small islands that came flying at them. From every direction, every rock in Mid-ocean, whether it had automated cannons on it or not, was pelting towards the 'Exterminator' as fast as the laws of physics would allow. The cannons on the islands and the Dalek ship traded rounds with each other while they could. The Dalek lasers easily meted the automatic Arcadian guns, while the moonstone enhanced shells forced the skin of the capital ship to absorb a variety of elements which undermined its structural integrity and ruined all devices and scanners they met. Despite the strength of the laser fire, the islands headed towards the vessel without resistance. Far too heavily insulated for the shields to stop, the velorium rich earth impacted on the flagship with catastrophic results. Already exhausted armour crumpled under the collision pressure. Throughout the bridge of the Dalek ships, warning sirens blared in panic.

"**Warning! Energy core is reaching maximum output capacity! Coolant systems insufficient for current output levels! Overload immanent!"**

The Designated Veteran Dalek glared at the pilot in incomprehensive fury. This was the Doctor's doing. How had he managed such a thing as directed flying islands? He would suffer for this!

"**Withdraw the 'Exterminator'! Return to the continent!"** the command Dalek roared.

The crew responded without delay. The engines were quickly powered up and the ship began to move back towards Valua. As the ship moved and the mobile islands started to miss the 'Exterminator', the Designated Veteran gave the command and the shields were reduced by fifty percent.

Well they had to reduce the power output somehow, and they needed weapons to destroy the automatic guns on the passing islands. It was just lucky there was only a minimal risk of enemy gunfire at this time.

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'_What did you do, Doctor?'_ Gonzales asked as he used the Bowship senses to watch the islands flying past.

'_Repulser technology on this planet is based on the way velorium in the floating islands repels the planet's gravity and pushes earth and rocks into the upper atmosphere.' _the Doctor explained, his voice being translated into the air pirate's head till they were like old memories resurfacing. _'I made a slight recalibration of the repulser engines on the Bastille so that the polarity mimicked that of velorium and projected the repulser wavelengths via the Bastille's planet wide traffic monitoring system to the coordinates of all the uninhabitable islands in order to drag the them towards the Bastille, using well time repulser pulses to throw then of course at the last moment and send them heading towards the Dalek ship. Rather ingenious, don't you think?'_

It took a moment before Gonzales could line up the details in his head and understand exactly what the Doctor had done, and though he'd never admit it to the Time Lord directly, it _was_ ingenious. No battleship in the universe that had defences designed to repel flying islands. Even mining ships or asteroid trawlers would have difficulty with the kind of projectiles the Doctor was throwing at them. And the Daleks, in their arrogance, only ever made battleships.

'_The ship is heading back to Valua. Do you think you can knock it out of the sky before it gets there?'_

'_No. I can't direct the islands any further than beyond the vicinity of Soltis.'_ the Doctor's voice sounded hard in Gonzales' head, inadvertently awakening grim emotions in the bounty hunter. _'It's going to have to be shot down.'_

So, the Doctor was open to the idea of violence when the occasion called for it. That was something, except that he wasn't the one doing the fighting.

'_Leave it to me Doctor.'_ Gonzales thought. _'I'm coming up alongside the ship now.'_

'_No Gonzales. Your Bowship doesn't have the strength to destroy a capital class. I can used these systems to aim any nearby moonstone cannons at-'_

'_Those cannons will be useless at such a range. This job requires a '_personal'_ touch.'_

'_Gonzales, don't even think-'_

Gonzales terminated the link. The Doctor wasn't going to tell him what to do. He reached out with the senses of the ship to find his makeshift squadron. The ships scanners acted exactly like enhanced extensions of his own senses- he _saw_ the very contours of the surrounding ships down to the finest detail, easily _heard_ the distinct whine of each individual engine, _tasted_ the frigid air that blasted past, _smelt_ the exhaust fumes of the nearby fighters, and _felt_ their slipstreams as the ships adopted a tight formation around his shuttle.

'_Commander, do you hear me?'_ Gonzales transmitted to the pearl white 'Engager' at the head of the force. The thoughts in his head were scrambled and difficult to focus on. The Bowships recovery hadn't been absolute, and communications had been one of the things that he was having trouble with. Long range communications were completely ruined; the Doctor had been speaking to him via Time Lord telepathy that was compatible with the ship and was capable of enhancing the Doctor's own ability. He'd have to discuss the details of the ships unexpected revival with the Doctor when the battle was over.

'_Yes sir. Your orders?'_ Commander Li's thoughts came into his head, undeniably more respectful after seeing the Bowship trounce the Dalek saucers over the Isle of Saile. The signal was scrambled, but just discernible.

'_The Dalek capital ship is just up ahead. Prepare for an Abandon Formation. We're going to shoot it down.'_

'_Are you sure, sir?'_ the pilot's voice came back slightly nervous_. 'We were only assigned to cause minor damage to the surface of the target. We don't have the sort of firepower needed to destroy it.'_

'_The ship is badly crippled from its last battle. If we concentrate our fire at the right points we can take it down.'_

'_But if we adopt an Abandon formation, the bombers-'_

'_The risk is acceptable.'_ Gonzales interrupted. _'I'll stay with them; you lead the attack.'_

A clipped _'Yes sir,'_ was all that followed the Captain's orders. Facing the 'Exterminator' was a massive risk with such small ships, but he was determined to succeed. He had to fight for Arcadia. It was home, but more than just home- it was a legend, a world of astounding beauty and glory and enlightened and skilful people. Arcadia was more than just a wonderful world.

It was nothing short of a paradise.

'_Incoming Dalek units!'_ one of the other pilots cried out. Ahead of them, the terrible Dalek 'Exterminator' homed into view from behind the cloud cover. Its massive bronze form blazed like fire in the blindingly clear sunlight of Mid Ocean. Dead ahead, at least fifty Daleks were souring towards them, so close their blue eyes could be see dancing in the air, forming their own constellation.

'_Move into formation!'_ Gonzales commanded. _'Fighter class ships form up behind Commander Li! Bomber class ships, behind me!'_

The ships of the Arcadian navy moved with both speed and precision. Canaan Li charged forward while the 'Engagers' spread out behind and increased their speed drastically. The 'Assaulters' formed a similar, wider spread pattern and zoomed after them, considerably slower. The air pirate Captain's rag tag force consisted of seventeen fighters and eleven bombers. A questionably small squadron for taking on fifty Daleks, but with superior speed and skill, it was gonna be close.

The fighters leading the charge literally blasted their way through the Daleks, almost flying in a straight line as the mass of travel machines simply wove directly into the path of their guns. Twenty five or twenty six Daleks were destroyed in the attack, while only one 'Engager' went down- a sunny yellow ship (the colour of Cape Claudia) whose guns had jammed and ended up flying head long into a Dalek, cockpit first.

What remained of the Daleks were left scattered in the wake of the fighters as they headed off to take courtesy shots at the 'Exterminator', probing it for weaknesses. The Daleks looked as though they might follow but the approaching 'Assaulter' ships quickly had their dome heads turning. Not wanting to lose the advantage of the confusion wreaked by the fighters, the rest of Gonzales' squadron flew through the Dalek group as fast and erratically as possible. Daleks veered aside as the chunky bombers nearly hit them. The 'Assaulters' carried no weapons designed for light ship combat, so speed was of the essence. That didn't stop Gonzales, who fired his bolt launcher with glee, lancing eight Daleks as he did.

As the flight group cleared the Daleks, the bronze suited mutants turned and gave chase. Gonzales moved to the back of the squadron, trying to use his move heavily defended shuttle to draw fire away from the others. Above and below the gradually approaching Dalek flagship, the 'Engagers' buzzed about like wasps, stinging the massive battleship repeatedly with their kinetic energy pulses. The extent of the damage caused by the Doctor was clear. Fiery maws gaped open on the side of the ship, spitting smoke and flame in unison. Lumps of rock and i-steel jutted from the hull, and strings of electricity flared across the ships surface. All the engines were still functional, but many were torn open in places and leaking irradiated ore and fumes into the atmosphere.

Ripe for destruction.

Extermination rays began to stream around the Bowship and into the backs of the fleeing bombers. Again, Gonzales was forced to endured ghostly pains as some shots torched the back of his vessel and fed their destructive power into his mind. Gonzales felt himself chill with an inexplicable fear of the potential consequences of meddling with this Time Lord technology. He'd experienced he sensations of psychic integration control before, but this was on an entirely new level. It was so intense; so... real. He remembered seeing patients suffering from the results of such a connection with their combat vehicles and their minds- patients whose bodies had been mangled and damaged beyond the ability to sustain life, while the minds of those people were alive in the computers, wondering why they couldn't disconnect themselves from the machines. Other patients had been left in comas after the 'heads' of the extension-warsuits were blown off, while others couldn't get used to using their legs again after having mentally directed wheels and tank tracks for so long.

Pushing aside the distracting fear, Gonzales reached into the mechanics of his ship with his mind, willing it to once again slide itself around the normality of the space/time continuum in order to pull off another eye widening special manuveer.

The Bowship quickly flipped round so it was flying backwards. Gonzales poured his rage into the gun controls as bolts of steel ejected from the void of the cannon barrel and into the Daleks. He managed to bag five without missing once before he had to spin the ship round again or risk stalling. As always the Daleks were difficult to put off, and they kept on coming.

With no ships lost, the bombers reached the 'Exterminator'. The risk rose to accommodate the stakes that were involved as Dalek anti-aircraft fire began to splutter from the ship. The 'Assaulters' dodged around the extermination rays, green instead of blue signifying their specific frequency. Flying over the top half of the flagship, the heavy attack vessels turned to face the dalekanium plating and let fly their missiles. The explosive rounds were pretty small for attacking capital class ships, but with the automated repair ability disabled and the hull integrity compromised, the rockets left quite a bit of damage. Gonzales continued to follow behind the Arcadians, braving the fires of the attack as he flew low to target the anti-aircraft guns, his steel bolts penetrating the ball-jointed lasers with ease. They flew over the command sphere of the ship, Daleks still in pursuit.

The bounty hunter saw at least two bombers get blown up. Four men dead. No time to mourn them.

Two more 'Assaulters' made a point of firing a pair of missiles each at a large particle weapon, successfully rendering it unusable. Gonzales checked the scanner readouts on the HUD in his mind. The 'Exterminator' was suffering. It was so close to experiencing a major power failure. It just needed a shove.

As the ships came to the edge of the 'Exterminator', a huge circular engine rolled into their path. Most of them managed to dodge it. One 'Assaulter' was caught off guard and was knocked out of the air and into a nearby flight stabiliser. Gonzales watched as the engine came across his path, gaze drawn to the enticing hole in the side.

The dart shaped Bowship rolled sideways on, strafing the globe, cannon aimed at the cracked open armour. Gonzales switched weaponry, and activated the trigger. Something that looked like a shooting star burst from the barrel of the shuttle. Gonzales righted the ship and hit the afterburner, desperate to get clear of the warp star detonation radius.

The ball of fire sunk deep into the gap where a chunk of island had smashed through. Having burned as deep as it would go, the shell around the warpfold conjugation cracked open and provoked the time frozen reaction.

It was not so much an explosion as a source of heat and light expanding to a specific size and giving of a sound like a merrily roaring fire. At least that's how it was a first. Soon enough, the mega high temperature reacted with the immediate oxygen and the fuel in the engine. It took a second and a half at the most.

The explosion that followed nearly sent Gonzales hurtling off into the distance. With intense effort he controlled his ship as it bucked and shuddered on inevitable reaction of the blast. The entire engine had gone up and broken open the side of the 'Exterminator'. The other impellor engines halted for a moment with jerky movements. Across the flagship were mini detonations that cut chunks out of the ships panels.

'_Think we hit something important?'_ Gonzales radioed the nearest 'Assaulter' officer- Marshal Gregorius Von Brandt.

'_I certainly do, sir.'_ the pilot of the -Blitz Bolt- replied.

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"**System overload detected!"** screamed a Dalek. **"Energy shields have overloaded! All shield projectors have detonated!"**

"**Impossible!"** the command Dalek shouted back.

"**Impellor engine three has been destroyed. Power flow disrupted. Energy core fluctuating."**

"**NO!" **the Veteran Dalek roared. It couldn't believe what was happening. 'Exterminator point one' was facing a genuine threat of destruction. It had been rammed by islands, fired upon by heavy cannons, and now it had received its most crushing blow so far from a shuttle sized ship. It was an outrage, and it was all the Designated Veteran's fault. Transmissions had stopped coming through from the orbiting Dalek command ship. Either the communications array had been shot off, or the Extra Taxomic Control Executive had given up on the flagship and had decided to quietly watch as it was blown to pieces.

No; that wasn't going to happen. The Designated Veteran Dalek resolved to get the 'Exterminator' back to Valua in one piece. Despite the damage caused by the unknown ship, it was still only one ship, and the squadron attacking could only cause so much damage. They still have a chance if they could get back to the continent that was now overrun by fast attack and troop carrier saucers.

"**Power down the defence systems. Reduce weapons system energy input to minimal. Reduce core output to fifty percent. Deploy more units to provide an escort."**

The orders were obeyed without a reply. The veteran Dalek watched them as they altered the ships activities. They could still make it. There was no weapon or vessel nearby that had the strength to cause any fatal damage to the battleship.

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Lower down in the atmosphere, the -Orion- lurked in the thick black clouds that stood as the prelude to the storms and heavy pressure of deep sky. They weren't far down enough that it was unsafe for the crew to remain on deck, so Sergeant Dayo Walkers and her platoon were still at their posts. After the frigate had nearly been burnt up by the uncontained backwash of its own moonstone cannon, the ship was deemed unsafe for battle, and had left the continuing violence over the doomed Valua to observe the movements of the 'Exterminator'. Even riding the ship on the repulser wavelengths, which for some reason had been heavily disrupted, it had taken a long time to try and catch up with the capital ship, only successful because it had suddenly come back their way. The flagship was badly damaged and looked as though at least one of its engines had been blown up.

Dayo stood with one leg lifted up to rest on an open engine hatch, standing stock still as though she were a statue that had been mounted there. Like the others she wore her goggles to protect her eyes, but she hadn't bothered with her mouth guard and frostbite was blistering her face. She didn't let it bother her.

She watched the Dalek ship as it pulled away from the Mid Ocean area toward the north, seeming ignorant of the monstrous groaning that came from the approaching 'Exterminator' now that it was close again. The stress of the current circumstances had left the woman nearly unhinged, and all she could think about was destroying the invading enemy before her. Her breath was no longer a stuttering intake but a long, clear breath that entered through her mouth and exited through her navel without complication. The crisis had perhaps awakened a sleeping survival instinct within her; a dormant ability left over from the days when the only way to survive on Arcadia was to be constantly ready to spring into action to grab hold of whatever opportunity that might present itself. Just like the air pirates of old, Dayo waited, gazing upon her prey, the concealing mist nonexistent in her mind, silently watching for the prime moment to strike.

"_Enemy trajectory confirmed. That Dalek ship is heading back to Valua."_ Captain Shogun announced over a general frequency to the whole ship. _"More frigates are on the way to join the attack. The capital ship has taken extensive damage and they've been forced to shut down their shields and automated armour. This is the best opportunity to destroy that ship. Since our ships moonstone cannon is unstable and likely to cause further damage, the -Orion- will act in a support role to fight the Dalek units escorting that ship. All hands make ready for close quarter combat."_

Dayo grimaced at that. Not being able to strike at that retched ship that had ripped so mercilessly into the Valuan city she known since her childhood rankled her. But she couldn't say anything. If the Captain thought she was too excitable or unstable he might remove her from duty, denying her the chance to fight altogether. She couldn't allow that. She had to fight the Daleks- had to kill them. And since she was still the ranking officer with access to the moonstone cannon override, she didn't want get moved from her current position.

So, for the moment, Dayo waited.

**-**D -D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D

Aki ignored the madness around her, not even flinching when something on the roof exploded and showered her in sparks. She had access to two communication links. One was trying to get through to Captain Gonzales, but still there was no answer. Maybe there was something wrong with his ships transmitter. Maybe the Bastilles transmission fields had been disrupted. Maybe something worse. She wouldn't get to safety until she knew. The main operating room was running with only a skeleton crew. Alert klaxons blared as the invading Daleks fought their way down through the flying fortress, one level at a time. The sounds of battle and dying soldiers and Daleks alike were audible now. Still, Aki would not leave.

On the communication link, the Doctor and Robo were talking frantically to her.

"_Vice-Captain, I'm coming back up to the operations room."_ Robo insisted.

"No, Robo. Stay with the Doctor. You'll be more helpful there than with me."

"_I have a duty to ensure your safety. If you won't get to safety, I must be there to protect you."_

"Stay with the Doctor, Robo. That's an order."

Instead of the Judoon's voice that replied, the Doctor's bland tone came at her from the receiver.

"_Maybe Gonzales isn't as cold hearted as he likes to pretend. I'm thinking he's probably given Robo orders to make sure you're all right. He's just gone now."_

Aki huffed beneath her burqa. She had a feeling the Doctor was absolutely right. Even she had trouble predicting her Captain's behaviour sometimes, but the Doctor read him like a book. As if he had any right to. After all they'd been through, she was the only one with the right to know her Captain so well.

"_Aki, I need to know what sort of situation we're facing. How is the battle going?"_

The silvite forced down her wounded pride and looked at a nearby monitor.

"The 'Exterminator' is heading right for Valua. The whole continent is overrun. If they get there, Arcadia won't have the strength to go in after it, giving the Daleks time to carry out repairs."

"_Tell the Brigadier he has to send more frigates after it. This could be the only window of opportunity to stop that weapon."_

"The Brigadier is too busy keeping the rest of this place running. The Daleks are taking all the upper levels of Soltis and they'll be here any moment."

"_A perimeter will need to be set up to stop them. You have got to get out of there _now_, Aki."_

"No." the pale skinned girl felt her pride return in a rush of indignant anger. "I have a duty to perform, and I will do it. I'm not going anywhere until I know what has happened to my Captain."

"_Aki,"_ the Doctor's voice sounded strained and tired now _"if the Daleks get there they'll kill you. Neither you nor Robo will-"_

"I don't need advice from you, Doctor." Aki's voice reached a shrill pitch as she snatched up the communicator, thumb twitching over the deactivation stud. "My crew and I have fought many terrible creatures, including the Daleks. I'm not going to just turn and run. This is something I have to do- for myself, Gonzales, and the whole of Arcadia. This is my home world; I am going to fight to protect it, and I'm not afraid to do so."

"_Aki, please listen to me. You can't fight that number of Daleks. If you fight, you die. I don't want you to get hurt Aki, and I know Gonzales doesn't either. Just trust me and get yourself to safety."_

"Sorry Doctor, but I have a job to do."

With that, the bounty hunter turned off the comm. device and with a whisper of magical words, sliced the machine in half with a silver knife that came out of no where. She had no desire to hear him ordering her to save herself while her people and her Captain were dying to save the world. She had to keep on fighting, in any way she could, for Gonzales' sake, because she knew he'd never give up.

There was a frantic panic from the doorway as a depleted platoon fought a fighting retreat into the operation room. Operators looked up in fearful curiosity, knowing the Daleks must be close by. Aki's all concealing clothing gave no indication of what she was feeling. In truth she felt no fear, only apprehension. She wanted to do the sensible thing, that being to get away from the compromised level and help throw up a defence to stop the Daleks advancing. But she couldn't go; not with Gonzales and the 'Exterminator' still out there. She would stay until she'd done all she could.

Again, she tried to raise the air pirate leader on his communicated, refusing to give as the message failed to get through again, while the Daleks began their advance on the operations room in earnest.

**-**D -D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D

Chaos.

Such chaos.

There was fire across the deck of gunboat -Orion-.

Gales whipped at those still alive.

Gunboat –Indus- plunged into the abyss. And the - Galaxian -. And the –Leo II-. And the –Pegasus-.

The Dalek ship was so powerful, despite being so damaged.

Even the mighty –Auriga- had been forced to withdraw.

The 'Exterminator' proved too strong. The dreadnaughts weren't designed for such fearsome combat.

The scene of battle was a kaleidoscope of nightmares, each one rolling into the next.

"_This is Captain Shogun of gunboat -Orion-."_ the ship master radioed to anyone who might be listening. _"The counter attack against the capital class Dalek ship has failed. The entire retaliatory force asides from _–Auriga-_ have been destroyed. Our ship has sustained critical damage. We're hiding in the lower skies cloud cover but we're right in the path of the ship. We need support if we're to escape."_

There was no answer.

-Orion- lay in the thick clouds. Its prow pointed up towards the approaching 'Exterminator' after having reversed from it so quickly in order to escape the massacre.

Dayo clung to a jagged piece of plating that jutted from a gap where an explosion had taken place. Her platoon was lost, the ones she could see either dead or dying. The whole ship had been ravaged.

She looked up at the bronze warship that sailed towards them. Still, she felt no fear, only apprehension; eagerness to deliver a blow against her tormentors. As she looked, her traumatised mind overlaid her vision with images provoked by the sight of something so symbolically Dalek. Ghosts of the former platoon officers; the rightful Sergeant and Lieutenant. All those soldiers she lost in less than five battles; people who were no longer her friends but statistics that she was responsible for. Valua, burning to nothing along with the hundreds of years of history it represented. The city she spent most of her adult life in, and where her battalion had been stationed. Everything that had significance to the young soldier was fading into memories before very eyes, leaving only the Daleks.

Boiling hatred was surging through Dayo's veins. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to react; to fight and destroy the metal shelled demons that had been sent from hell to torment Arcadia. Or maybe it wasn't Arcadia they were after. Caught smack in the middle of all this, was it impossible to believe that she was somehow at the heart of it all? But the Daleks had failed. She had waited and bided her time, and now her chance had come- the flagship was drifting straight towards her, and was directly ahead of the ships prow. They'd destroyed the others, but hadn't seen her ship. They'd made a dangerous gamble going back into battle with such damage, and now the heart of the ship was in her direct line of fire

Dayo fought her way to her feet, tremors from the frigate making their way up her legs. The wounds in -Orion- were still belching arid smoke and flame. The roar of the 'Exterminator' was like a tsunami, washing out all other noise and pressing down on the Sergeant as a whole blanket of sound, the sonic pressure adding to the forces that battered her already bruised and worn body. Still, she tackled the resistance as she made her way back to the engine hatches she'd only so recently been charged with responsibility for.

Reaching the main hatch, Dayo checked the position of the enemy ship. It was still in the way of the pointed blade of the gunboat. She typed in her override code and shut off the safety mechanism.

As she swapped several power coils around, a message came through her communicator. It sounded like Captain Shogun on the bridge, but the thunderous moan of the 'Exterminator' penetrated even the sealed earpiece, so she couldn't clearly make it out. More than likely the Captain was telling her to stop what she was doing as the ship would be destroyed. What did he know? Couldn't he see this was their chance to destroy their enemies? Who cared for the consequences if they managed to shoot that monster down?

Dayo finished her work. There were a few sparks from mechanics as power links were unexpectedly severed- pilots on the bridge trying to get in her way in order to prolong their lives a little at the cost of victory. They were fools, but it didn't matter. The damage and confusion had given her ample opportunity for rerouting the system so that it lasted long enough for her purposes.

Dayo pulled the correct lever, and the moonstone accelerators began to charge. Dayo gripped the manual discharge plunger, glaring at the Dalek battleship as though she might be able to cause it more damage by pouring her will to see it destroyed into the dreadnaughts main weapon. She allowed herself a moment to wonder if she regretted her fate. Maybe yesterday she would have, before all this had happened. But today she was a soldier, doing her duty for her home world. Just like the air pirates of legend, she was putting herself out for the overall good of her community. She had no regret.

The alarm sounded. The canon was charged. Sergeant Walkers depressed the plunger handle.

The glare of laser energy lasted for only four seconds. The power filters burnt out, and the energy recoil spilled onto the surface of the ship. The hyper charged engine only took a moment to detonate. The inside of the -Orion- exploded, killing everyone left on board.

Their deaths, however, were not in vain. The energy beam with its pinkish hue travelled along its course and struck the underside of the giant, gleaming ship. Had the defences still been active, the capital ship may have endured. Without them, the moonstone beam ate through the metal of the central dome and the revolving section. The destructive force clipped one of the engines, resulting in an erupting fireball which, combined with the damage from by the already decimated engine, caused the revolving body of the vessel to fracture and rip away from the dome in the middle. Molten metal and slag poured by the gallon from the broken points. More explosions took place both within and without the ship. The 'Exterminator' began to fall, emergency jets bursting forth from the underside to try and save the stricken ship, only causing more damage as the power flow caused more overloads in the system.

On the bridge of the vessel, the Designated Veteran Dalek cried out orders to try and save the ship, but it was a hopeless cause. What remained of the safety and emergency systems soon kicked in, shutting of the power core to prevent further damage. With the loss of the Z-neutrino heart of the ship, the 'Exterminator' went into complete shutdown, defying all attempts to restart the engines. The colossal Dalek craft sank gently through the sky, until it pieced the dark clouds of deep sky and began to drift out of sight forever. A few nearby saucers and Daleks saw their chance and moved to pass through the gap in the vicious storms created by their dead capital ship. The opportunity quickly vanished as the relief force sent to stop the 'Exterminator' ran across the path of the advancing Daleks, instantly upsetting their formations and catching them in a cross fire.

Soon enough, the Daleks at Valua stopped sending out saucers to attack nearby targets and began to dig in on the irradiated continent. The momentum of their assault had been stolen by the destruction of the 'Exterminator'.

The first battle for Arcadia was over.

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"Yes!" the Doctor cried out as his computer reported the news he'd been waiting to hear. He turned to share his joviality with Robo, only just remembering that the ex-police officer was on his way to the upper levels to protect his Vice-Captain. The thought of that reminded the Doctor that the battle was far from over, and he still had tasks to complete.

He looked at another part of the monitor, showing the room where the TARDIS was located, and showing plenty of Daleks moving towards it.

"Oh dear," the Doctor said absently to himself "something will have to be done about that."

The Doctor tapped a few keys on the computer, and then casually strode to the door.

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The door to the storage room collapsed as red hot sludgy gunk under the force of a Dalek ray. The Daleks stormed into the room with what could only be described as glee. The TARDIS may have shut down again, but its position had been marked the moment it had revealed itself.

"**The TARDIS has been located!"** said the senior Dalek of the group- not an actual command Dalek, just a general standard unit superior. That would all change after this, though. Taking the TARDIS back to Skaro in the name of the Dalek cause was a triumph unsurpassed by any other. Personal recognition and glory for the Daleks as a whole was guaranteed.

"**Apply ****temporal prison****. Render the TARDIS powerless."** it ordered. The Daleks parted and a blue and silver scientific research Dalek drifted forward to oversee the task.

As the travel machines spread out to do the deed, a high pitched whine descended upon the room. The lead Dalek looked around in confusion.

"**What is that sound?"** it demanded.

"**Huon energy wavelengths detected."** said the science Dalek. **"Energy confirmed as a component of Time Lord technology."**

Upon hearing this, the ranking Dalek looked back towards the TARDIS to see if there was any sign that the time/space machine was at the heart of the intruding wavelengths. There was just enough time to see the TARDIS as a pillar of loosely connected spots before it disintegrated and vanished from view.

A surprised silence settled on the room, until-

"**Where is the TARDIS! ?"** howled the leader. No one answered, the other Daleks looking around in equal confusion.

"**Find it! Find the TARDIS!"**

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The TARDIS rematerialised outside the engine room, on top of the Silvite Huon teleporter the Doctor had acquired from the nearby display case.

"Good work, old girl," the Doctor said as he slapped the side of his wooden box affectionately.

"Won't put you in danger like that again. Promise."

**-**D -D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D **-**D

There were a few ragged cheers from what was left of the team of strategists in the main control room of Soltis Bastille. Even Aki allowed herself a small smile which was concealed by her veil. They were all exhausted and tense from their time trying to make sense of the insane battle, and the defeat of the huge battleship couldn't have come at a better time.

"We've done all we can here. All personnel evacuate the control room!" Brigadier Holm cried out, clearly at the end of his tether.

The Operators and Clerks obeyed at once, springing to their feet and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on.

Aki reluctantly climbed to her feet, picking up her leather bound journal as she did. There was nothing left she could do to help; no advice she could give, no spell to cast. And if the Daleks were allowed to overrun the level, she'd never find Gonzales again. She knew it would be agony to wait in the lower levels, which weren't as well used and were poorly maintained. Trying to find out if the Bowship docked in any of the tiny lower level ports would be all but impossible, and long range communicators and tactical computers would be restricted to official military use only. Down there, it could be hours, maybe even days before she found out if her Captain was dead or alive. But she'd have less chance if she continued to sit there trying to raise his comm. link with a Dalek breathing down her neck. She'd have to chance it.

She turned right to head towards the emergency exit, and was instantly thrown on her back as the door to her left was blown away, along with most of the wall. Aki quickly got back up again to investigate, finding herself confronted with a massive Dalek advance into the control room. The din of battle made its way from the areas beyond the destroyed wall, proving that the Arcadians weren't out of the fight yet. But at the moment, Aki was far more concerned with the battle she had on her hands right here and now.

An Arcadian soldier came sprinting around a cubicle wall to try and hold off the attackers. He merely turned the corner, and then his head was enveloped in the tri-claws of an assault Dalek. The claws closed instantly, mincing the man's had without effort. The mutant in the shell then turned to survey the room, before barking out its orders.

"**Exterminate all battle coordinators! Exterminate!"**

The others followed the orders of the senior Dalek, sliding forward and opening fire. The room was instantly a buzz of screaming energy beams, the walls highlighted in a deceptively calm blue. People went running as beams of death began striking office walls and staff members. Screams and flashes of light from the impacts increased the madness that reigned over the room. Some tried fighting back, among them the Brigadier with a traditional blue moonstone flintlock and the Sontaron Hul firing his laser rifle with reckless abandon. The Dalek attack didn't slow down, despite a few units taking fatal wounds while several more backed up screaming **"Vision impaired!"** after their eyes were hit.

Aki vacated the control dais and called over to the Daleks as she moved between them and the retreating Arcadians.

"Cease you attack, Daleks!" her voice moved steadily across the room with a strength and determination she rarely allowed people to see in her. "You can't hope to take the entire Bastille with so few of you. You are cut off and outnumbered- leave immediately."

"**Circumstances insufficient to provoke tactical withdrawal."** replied the leading assault Dalek. **"Argument invalid; press the attack. Exterminate!"**

The attack continued. Having become the main target, Aki found gunsticks aimed straight at her.

"Moons," Aki murmured in a deep tone, holding out and cupping her hands that filled with liquid silver bought on by the use of silver magic.

"Give me _strength_!" Aki held her hands out to the side as the Daleks fired "Dome of light- deploy!"

Instantly, a hemisphere of pale blue and white encircled Aki. The barrier deflected extermination rays and sent them pinging into the surrounding fixtures. The Daleks moved further into the room still firing, but the shielded bounty hunter took the gunfire without complaint, allowing the others to make their way out safely.

Aki's power didn't merely extend to defence. She held her arm above her head and what looked like a shard of icicle shaped glass appeared in her hand. Flicking her hand, she hurled the shard like a transparent spear and it pierced the shell of one of the Daleks. The spear made no mark on the travel machine, and when it was exactly halfway through and sticking out the back of the Dalek, it stopped moving. The mutant inside howled as the power of the silver moon energy worked its influence on the creature. The Dalek expired, and the light from the eyestalk went out.

Two Daleks flew up in the air to try and attack the escaping strategists. Aki quickly shot them down with more spears. She began to back away, still fighting, but the shield and spears she was conjuring were running out of power, no longer as vivid as before, becoming more see-through.

The assault Dalek leading the attack moved to the front of the attack force.

"**Unidentified energy wavelength reducing in potency. Primary target is weakening."**

In response, Aki threw another spear into the Dalek. The spear entered the shell then disappeared, failing to have an effect. Aki's power had all but run out.

"**Maximum firepower! Exterminate!"**

A powerful Dalek laser shot from the assault Dalek's gunstick and into the dome of light. The defensive wall shattered and the beam hit Aki.

The woman screamed out loud, her slim body thrown into sharp relief by the putrid green x-rays of the blast. The energy dissipated and she fell to floor, just time for Robo to come charging into the room to aid her.

"NO!" he yelled in fury as he watched his Vice-Captain fall. Pulling out his beam rifle, the Judoon dodged a laser and retaliated against the assault Dalek, firing directly into its eyestalk and killing it stone dead.


	7. Chapter 7

Night had fallen on Arcadia. At least by Arcadian standards it had. Due to the large number of moons and unorthodox astral movements of the solar system as a whole, every region on the planet's surface changed from day to night at the same time and vice versa, with only a minor difference between the side facing the sun and the side facing away. The network of moons encircling the planet had peculiar effects on the illumination of Arcadia, as well as its gravitational movements towards, away from and around the sun. The night time sky of the world was star filled but only as dark as an earth late evening, the darkest it ever got. The inhabitants of the world were long since adapted to the lack of darkness and the semi-lit twilight only added to the planets beauty. The length of night and day also varied- the longest solar cycle could take thirty two hours, while the shortest could only take seven hours. The Arcadians adapted to their unique environment by going down with the sun and coming up with the sun, which also removed any concern for jetlag.

With the night, came a pause in the nightmare of war, and a chance for both Arcadians and Daleks alike to stop and lick their wounds.

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X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X X-X

_**Well, this is it from me and my fan fiction 'The Fall of Arcadia'.**_

_**I did have a good story planned out for this, and it hurt to bring this fic to an end before it's time. But after seven chapters even I cannot deny that this story is, quite frankly, boring. So, for the sake of the greater good, this story has now come to an end, and will not continue. This final chapter contains the last bit of work I wrote for it.**_

_**If by chance there is anyone out there who'd be interested in taking over this story and finishing it off, by all means contact me and I'll hand it over, along with all the details of the plot I'd originally had planned for it (anyone who takes over this story will of course be at liberty to take it in any direction they want, regardless of what I had planned).**_

_**I would like to give thanks to the author Dan Abnett, whose story 'Double Eagle' was a great inspiration for this fic. I'd also like to thank my reviewers, and in particular, 'Marcus S. Lazarus' for his betaing work. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. And remember-**_

_**Keep reading!**_

The End


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